Plus size Olympians don’t get enough credit. And yes… they do exist!
As you may have noticed, a good majority of mainstream competitors are thin-waisted. From on-air commercials to magazine spreads, ripped abs and defined calves have always been at the forefront of the industry’s marketing campaigns. But what about those plus size Olympians who are making history? Why are we not seeing more of these athletes being celebrated?
The truth is… you can be healthy at every size. Flexibility and mobility aren’t always dependent upon how much one weighs. In this article, we’re shedding light on female plus size Olympians you may (or may not) have known about. These medal holders have pushed the envelope and flipped the narrative for athletes on the higher end of the scale… time and time again.
With the Paris 2024 Olympics upon us, which kicked off on July 26 and will end on August 11, it’s necessary to recognize illustrious people of size who’ve made a difference.
Plus Size Olympians We Need You to Know
Michelle Carter
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This is the real “Shot Diva,” for sure! The incomparable Michelle Carter is the daughter of former Olympic athlete and NFL player Michael Carter. She is a three-time plus size Olympian, World Championship gold medallist, and speaker. Carter’s throwing career began during her junior year of high school in 1997. In 2001, while rocking her USA jersey, she won silver at the World Youth Championships.
From there, after making her first Olympic team in 2008, she would go on to break many records and accumulate numerous accolades. In 2016, the now-38-year-old won gold at the 2016 World Indoor Championships in Portland. However, according to her website, she was crowned at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and became the first American woman to win gold in the shot put competition.
Sarah Robles
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Once deemed the “top-ranked weightlifter” in America, Sarah Robles is an accomplished, three-time national champion who, in 2016, became the first U.S. athlete to medal in Olympic weightlifting since 2000. In 2020, she won her second bronze at that year’s Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
After winning a silver medal in 2010, her gold medals came in 2022, when she competed in the Pan American Weightlifting Championships in Bogotá, Columbia. Last year, she struck another silver at the 2023 Pan American Weightlifting Championships in Bariloche, Argentina.
“The thing that makes me feel really good, that confirms what I’m doing this for, is the messages I get from young girls, saying ‘I want to be like you when I grow up,” she previously told Tokyo 2020 in an interview.
Emily Campbell
Olympic silver medallist Emily Campbell has earned the title of “the most successful British weightlifter of modern times,” per her Wikipedia page. In 2018, she won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games and another during the European Championships in 2019. Two years later, the record-breaker became a European champion. She became the first British female weightlifter to win an Olympic medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics.
After obtaining the silver achievement, her next bronze came at the World Championships in Uzbekistan. The 2022 European Weightlifting Championships granted Campbell her gold medal and again in 2023, as did the 2024 Championships in Bulgaria this past February. Aside from those highlights, the 30-year-old has a host of other successes in the sport. She recently geared up to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Raven Saunders
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A mentee of Michelle Carter, Raven “Hulk” Sanders began throwing shot put and discus in their freshman year of high school. The South Carolina native was named the Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year in 2014.
Saunders made their international debut at the World Junior Championships in Athletics that same year in Eugene, Oregon, winning a silver medal. Additionally, the 28-year-old LGBTQIA+ advocate raked in a silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. They’re also at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Deanna Price
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Hammer throw icon Deanna Price claimed her first international silver medal at the 2015 NACAC Championships. Her Olympic debut came in 2016 at the 2016 Tokyo Olympics. In 2019, she won a gold medal at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, which made her the first U.S. woman to medal in any female throws event at the prestigious competition. Four years later, in 2023, she retrieved a bronze. Price entered the Paris 2024 Olympics this summer, marking her third Olympic Games.
Which of these plus size Olympians had you known about already? Let us know in the comments below!
