Cheryl finished sixth at the 2008 Olympic Games. She said this would be her final competition.
Cheryl Haworth will be representing the United States of America at the upcoming Olympics in the weight lifting events. Cheryl was also in the 2000 year Olympics where she won the bronze metal. She is the current American champion. Cheryl's family line, back to George is:
Cheryl (her two sisters are Elizabeth, and Kathryn)
Robert Paul Haworth
Robert Micajah Haworth
Homer Bunn Haworth
Micajah Frank Haworth
Thomas Claiborne Haworth
Stephanus Haworth
Micajah Haworth
Stephanus Haworth
George Haworth
(click on the thumbnail to expand the picture)
Growing up
As a child, Haworth struggled with chronic bouts with allergies, pneumonia
and bronchitis. According to her mother, Sheila, a registered nurse, she ate
poorly and was quite skinny. Her health changed, however, at age six, upon
having her tonsils and adenoids removed. Shortly after the surgery, Sheila
cooked some mashed potatoes and Cheryl devoured them. By age 12, she weighed 240
lbs. Watching her daughter squeeze into clothes, Sheila consulted a dietitian,
who recommended a limit of one serving per meal and fruits and vegetables for
snacks. One night when Haworth started crying for seconds, her mother decided
that the dinner table wasn't going to be a battleground. What no one realized
was that Haworth was gaining strength as well as pounds. "I just thought I was
getting fat," she says. "I didn't worry about it. I always thought I would grow
out of it."
Checking out
the competition
Haworth began lifting at age 12. She and some of her slow-pitch softball
teammates occasionally worked out at a Savannah gym run by Mike Cohen, formerly
the women's U.S. national team coach. Haworth recalls looking around, seeing
Olympic-level weightlifters and thinking, "I can do that." She then convinced
her father, Bob, to let her train more frequently. Her younger sister Katie
briefly followed Cheryl into the sport, and finished sixth in the women's 75kg
division at the 2002 Nationals.
Elevating
the bar
After Cheryl Haworth won the bronze medal in the super-heavyweight (75+kg)
division at the 2000 Sydney Games (where women's weightlifting made its Olympic
debut), she became an instant celebrity and the face of U.S. weightlifting. She
continued to perform at an elite level until 2003, when she tore two elbow
ligaments and missed the 2003 World Championships. The injury lingered through
the Athens Games, where she finished a disappointing sixth place. Haworth
recovered well, though, earning a bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships.
Despite being hampered by back spasms at the 2007 World Championships (where she
finished 13th) in Thailand, she headed into the Beijing Olympics on a high note,
having just captured her eleventh national title in March.
updated 26 Aug 2010
Return to The Family Notes Index Page