Anna Harvey discovered her passion for competitive weightlifting near the end of last summer, when a friend approached her about training at the Prairie State Barbell facility in DeKalb. One of three children in a family of athletes, Harvey has played multiple sports throughout her life, but competitive weightlifting has both inspired and challenged her in new ways and forms.

“Weightlifting is about putting in the work and seeing results,” Harvey said. “Your only excuse is yourself and I love weightlifting because I’ve learned a lot about mental toughness. I love watching my brothers lift and they’re both really big motivators for me. I really like lifting weights and I think a lot of girls are nervous about lifting weights, but I think it’s empowering and humbling because it’s given me a competitive drive and that’s what keeps me going.”

Harvey’s competitive weightlifting journey recently brought her to the 2021 Illinois State & Mid-American Championships at The Strength Agenda in Villa Park on Saturday, where she finished first in the 64-Kilogram Youth Female Division and took home Best Lifter in her division. Harvey’s winning performance qualified her to compete in the 2022 USA Weightlifting National Championships, which will be held from June 25 through July 3 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“I have a lot of support and it feels amazing,” Harvey said. “I made all of my snatches and set a new personal record with 71 kilograms. I missed two clean-and-jerks because of locked-out elbows, but I completed an 85-kilogram clean-and-jerk and finished with 156 kilograms total, which was a meet personal record for me. It was such an eye-opening experience for me and it was really humbling. Everyone was supportive of each other, which I thought meant the most.”

Saturday was the fourth competitive weightlifting competition for Harvey, who took seventh place at the 2021 USA Weightlifting National Championships in Detroit, Michigan. Harvey trains three-to-four days a week, working with her coach Brandon Male, who provides her with training routines as well as feedback on lifting form and technique. Harvey said she plans to start training at NIU, where her coach works as a professor, as soon as next month.  

“The state meet was a huge confidence booster for me,” Harvey said. “I opened the meet with numbers I had been missing. You can hit a weight 100 times during practice, but hitting it on the platform during a meet is a whole different feeling. I love going out and competing.”