7-year-old Nashville weightlifter hopes to compete in future Olympics
Rayya Howard is already winning national championships.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - There are several young, local athletes that will be watching the upcoming games in Paris knowing that, in a few years, they might be the ones competing.
One of them is 7-year-old weightlifter Rayya Howard.
When we say, “Her parents had her in the gym at a young age,” we mean a really, really young age.
Video shows her mom exercising while being 34 weeks pregnant with Rayya.
“I’ve known Rayya since the first day that she was born,” said her coach Osman Manzanares.
Manzanares is an 18-time national champion.
He’s a three-time world champion and he competed in the 1992 Olympics.
So, he knows what it takes, and he said, Rayya definitely has it.
“I want to be the strongest person in the whole world,” said Rayya.
On any given day you’ll find her at the Nashville Weightlifting Club cleaning, pressing and recording her progress.
“I have to think about pulling hard, knees out, toes a little bit out,” said Rayya.
Among her many strengths, she’s got the gift of discipline, love for the sport, and great mentors like her mom Labritt Howard, who’s an agent with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations.
“I think it’s great to be a role model for my child and show her you can do whatever you want to do, and you don’t have to live your life in fear. Go after your goals and your dreams and knock it out of the park,” said Howard.
Rayya is doing just that.
She won the American Open final.
She recently won gold at the youth nationals both in her own age group and in the one above her.
Eventually she hopes to add Olympic medals to her collection.
“So like in 2028, the Olympics will be in Los Angeles. She’ll be too young to compete, but it’s important for us to take her,” said Rayya’s dad Rahman Howard.
This time they’ll be watching from home on WSMV4 where you can now say you first heard the name “Rayya Howard.”
“She can see herself in these people and know that one day that’s going to be me dominating,” said Britt Howard.
Manzanares said it’s never too young to start a child in any sport as long as they have a passion for it.
He said for athletes, the Olympics are as big as it gets, but to get there he said you have to dedicate your entire life to your sport.
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