Ciarelli claims gold at Junior Pan Am Games

Mike Sciacca

One month after finishing third at the Senior Nationals in

weightlifting, Huntington Beach’s Maryn Ciarelli claimed gold at the

Junior Pan American Championships held last weekend in Mexico City.

Ciarelli, 20, began preparation for the Junior Pan Am Championships

immediately after placing third in the Senior Division at the Senior

Nationals, where she entered the competition as a Junior Division

competitor.

In Mexico City, the championships featured eight national teams,

including the USA, Mexico, Brazil, Puerto Rico and Cuba. Ciarelli

competed in the 63 kilogram weight class, which meant that she had to

stay under 139 pounds and, as a result, she won the gold in three events.

The Golden West College student won the snatch with a lift of 165

pounds, the clean and jerk at 209 pounds, and a gold medal for her total

poundage of 374.

There is no time to rest on her laurels, however: Ciarelli is now in

training for the upcoming Senior World Team Trials, which will be held in

Dallas in June.