“I’m Carrying a Legacy”: Meet 2024 Olympian Mary Theisen-Lappen

Mary Theisen-Lappen has big shoes to fill. The 33-year-old got a late start in competitive Olympic lifting, and yet in less than five years’ time has climbed just about as high as anyone can go — she joins four other American weightlifters en route to the 2024 Olympics, which run from Jul. 26 to Aug. 11 in Paris, France.

Theisen-Lappen is not only one of the best weightlifters in the United States; she’s a solid pick for the podium in the Women’s +81-kilogram super-heavyweight category, a class in which the States have long maintained a presence thanks to Theisen-Lappen’s competitor and teammate Sarah Robles.

Theisen-Lappen prepares for her first clean & jerk at the 2024 IWF World Cup.

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But Paris rules stipulate only one athlete per category per country, at least in weightlifting. Thanks to a surplus of strength and stellar coaching in her corner, Theisen-Lappen made the cut.

BarBend sat down with Theisen-Lappen and USA Weightlifting senior international coach Wil Fleming to check the pulse of one of American weightlifting’s most dynamic duos — and to determine whether Theisen-Lappen herself is ready for the biggest stage in sports.

Editor’s Note: BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting. Portions of this interview have been lightly edited for clarity.

BarBend: You are in some ways stepping into the shoes of Sarah Robles. How does it feel to carry that responsibility, and how has Sarah influenced your Olympic journey?

Mary Theisen-Lappen: “Sarah is the best weightlifter in modern U.S. history. I’m only trying to do my best to carry on that legacy. Competing against her was hard, but she drove me to get better and we became friends along the way. She’s super supportive of my journey and it means the world to me.”

BB: The Women’s super-heavyweight division is a small circle. How does a shallower talent pool affect the relationships you have with your competitors?

MTL: “I don’t necessarily agree that there’s a shallower talent pool — Li Wenwen (of Team China) may make it appear that way, and other classes get more attention, but the super-heavyweight women are extremely competitive. We’re all friendly to each other at competitions, but we’re there to compete. I’ll often use Google translate to wish them luck, since most of them don’t speak English!”

BB: What are you looking forward to most as a first-time Olympian?

MTL: “Other than the competition itself, I’m excited to take part in the opening ceremonies and ride down the Seine river. [Coach Fleming] and I are going to watch the shot put final as well; it’ll be great to see that event.”

BB: Mr. Fleming, can you talk about some of the specific technical changes you and Mary are working on before she takes the stage at the Olympics?

Wil Fleming: “At this point, there’s not much we can do to change Mary’s technique this close to the Olympics. We’re focused on building confidence and having an unflappable routine.”

BB: Each weightlifter on Team USA at this Olympics has a different coach. How collaborative are the coaches when it comes to navigating high-stakes weightlifting meets?

WF: “There is little collaboration between [Team USA] coaches, especially on the Women’s side. We’ve been competing for 18 months to make this team, so there have been some less-than-fun times. We may bounce ideas back and forth, but our main goals are centered around the successes of our respective athletes.”

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How Mary Theisen-Lappen Made It to the 2024 Olympics

Weighed against some of her teammates on Team USA, Theisen-Lappen’s competitive pedigree may look a bit lean. Since her international debut in 2020, Theisen-Lappen has logged eight International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) events in four years, and made it to the podium at all of them save one.

Plot her trajectory and you’ll also see a steady climb upward as Theisen-Lappen has bolstered her strength (and competitive Total) to become one of the most competitive Women’s super-heavyweight weightlifters in the world.

Theisen-Lappen attended five IWF events during the Paris 2024 qualification period, which kicked off about 18 months ago in 2022. Here’s how she did on her journey:

Editor’s Note: The formatting below reads as, “Total (Snatch / Clean & Jerk)” in kilograms.

2023 IWF Grand Prix I: 277 (119/158)

2023 World Weightlifting Championships: 277 (117/160)

2023 Pan American Games: 277 (120/157)

2023 IWF Grand Prix II: 283 (120/163)

2024 IWF World Cup: 274 (118/156)

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A post shared by Mary Theisen-Lappen (@marytheisenlappen)

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Theisen-Lappen has also logged a few tremendous training lifts in the weeks prior to the opening ceremonies, including a 165-kilogram clean & jerk complex — two kilos above her own American record in the clean & jerk — plus a massive 183-kilogram behind-the-neck split jerk.

You can follow Theisen-Lappen’s journey to its conclusion by watching her perform during the Women’s +81-kilogram event at the 2024 Olympics on Sunday, Aug. 11 at 5:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.