North Korea’s Jong Sim Rim competes on the women’s 69Kg
If I was a weightlifter, an Olympic weightlifter at that; a female olympic weightlifter who is being watched by millions of people around the world while I squat and try to lift 300 lbs over my head, I would want to look cute, not just for myself or the few million male admirers but for endorsement deals as well because you know that female athletes are judged based on their looks more than their male counterparts.
Holley Mangold’s “struggle face”
I would also be self-conscious about the faces that I make. But that is certainly not the case for these courageous women who are not interested in how they look; they are strictly focused on lifting. From the looks of these shots, there may not be many mainstream endorsement deal offers for these ladies. It’s unfortunate.
Luisa Peters holding her breath
Armenia’s Meline Daluzyan competes on the women’s 69Kg.