Sarah Davila rubs chalk on her hands, walks over to the platform, clicks her heels, lets out a final scream and walks up to the barbell.
She is mentally and physically preparing to lift 216 pounds at the Jacked Classic, a local weightlifting meet, breaking her own state record by six pounds.
“I completely black out. I’m so in the zone I tell myself, just lift the bar,” Davila said.
Sarah Davila, a mother of two, started weightlifting in 2018 when a CrossFit coach encouraged her to start.
“I just fell in love with the sport,” Davila said. “I know I’m in it for the long run”
Davila competed in her first weightlifting competition a year later. Six years after her first competition she would hold three state records in her respective weight class and begin preparing to compete at the 2025 United Masters World Championships in Daytona Beach.
“My goal is Worlds in December,” said Davila. “Jacked Classic was my let’s get the nerves out,”
Olympic weightlifting consists of two main lifts: snatch and clean and jerk.
The snatch consists of pulling the bar up into an overhead position and standing up in one continuous motion. The clean and jerk lift consists of picking the bar up from the floor to their shoulders then into an overhead position.
“I’ve always loved clean and jerks more. I’ve never liked snatch because it’s so hard, but now I’m like, I’m falling in love with snatch,” said Davila.
A competitive lifter is ranked by adding the scores of their best lift and best clean and jerk. Missing all three attempts in a lift result in a “bomb out” which prevents the athlete from putting up a total score.
Davila bombed out at Nationals last year.
“I needed to bomb out; everyone needs to bomb out. You have to get that out of the way – that feeling – cry it out, get angry, get sad, then move on,” Davila said.
Davila’s biggest motivation throughout her weightlifting journey are her kids. Davila’s kids are her biggest cheerleaders and occasionally go to training sessions. Sometimes picking up a resistance ban and imitating a lift move.
Weightlifting has given Davila life lessons, which she wants to pass on to her kids.
“Show up, you gotta keep showing up, just like in training, even if it’s a bad training, keep showing up,” Davila added.
Davila knows it’s not always easy for moms to train, but she hopes to motivate other moms to join the sport.
“I really hope I motivate other moms to lift because you’re gonna feel so good, you’ll feel strong,” said Davila. “And having kids shouldn’t be an excuse, you can make some time, even if it’s once a week, as long as you’re moving, as long as you lift the bar, it’s gonna feel so good in the long run.”
Davila trains in the evening at Freedom Weightlifting in West Palm Beach. In addition to being an athlete and a mom, she is also a coach.
While training three to four days a week, she helps coach some of the younger kids at her gym. She also coaches during competitions, helping manage athletes’ attempts and when they take them.
“It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” Davila tells her younger weightlifters.
Davila’s focus now is the upcoming United Masters Weightlifting Federation World Championships in Daytona Beach from Dec. 4–7, where she hopes to break her state snatch record again while still having fun and enjoying the competition.
After worlds Davila wants to take a break and focus on gaining more experience coaching but still plans to compete at the 2026 USA Weightlifting Nationals.
Davila plans to have this sport in her life for the long run. Enjoying every aspect of the sport, her long-term goal is to be a coach and open up a gym.
“My ultimate goal is to open up my own weightlifting gym,” said Davila.
