Sarah Robles, who in Rio earned the first U.S. Olympic weightlifting medal since 2000 (super heavyweight bronze), on Tuesday became the first American to win a world title since 1994.
The 29-year-old lifted two fewer pounds than she did in Rio — a total of 626 pounds between the snatch and the clean and jerk in Anaheim, Calif.
The last American to win a world title was Robin Byrd in 1994.
New Zealand’s Laurel Hubbard took silver with 606 total pounds, the first-ever world medal for her country.
Hubbard, 39, previously competed in men’s weightlifting as Gavin Hubbard, according to Reuters, which reported that Hubbard continued to decline interviews Tuesday, as she has for much of this year.