Lehi People
Local woman breaks weightlifting world record
Ryann Anderegg | Lehi Free Press
When Katrina Rasmussen first stepped into a CrossFit gym after the birth of her second child, she never imagined that one day she’d be a world record–holding Olympic weightlifter. What began as a way to combat postpartum depression and regain strength soon transformed into a passion and ultimately, a platform for perseverance, self-belief, and balance. She sets a powerful example that it’s never too late to start something new, chase audacious goals, and redefine what strength looks like.
When Rasmussen tells people she competes in Olympic weightlifting, she’s used to the puzzled looks. “People always ask how much I can bench,” she said, laughing. “But this isn’t powerlifting, it’s Olympic weightlifting. It’s the snatch, clean, and jerk. And yes, I’ve broken a world record, but it’s in the Masters division. I like to joke that it’s the ‘old people record.’”
At 37 years old, Rasmussen is proving that strength and resilience don’t fade with age. The local mother of two recently broke a world record at the 2025 Masters World Weightlifting Championships in Las Vegas, reclaiming a title she first earned in 2022. Her record-breaking lift was a 116-kilogram (255-pound) lift, with a combined total of 226 kilograms (nearly 450 pounds) for both lifts.
“I actually hit that number before,” Rasmussen explained, “but to break a world record, it has to happen at an international meet. I missed my shot last year when the Worlds were in Finland; it was just too far and too expensive to travel. So, when the meet came to Vegas this year, I drove down. My 14-year-old son came to watch. That made it extra special to hit my goal with him there.”
Rasmussen didn’t start as a competitive weightlifter. In fact, her journey began just a few years ago. “I started CrossFit after my youngest was born,” she said. “I had terrible postpartum depression, and I just needed to move and needed something for myself. Fitness became my therapy.”
As she grew stronger, coaches began to notice something remarkable. “I realized I had a lot of natural strength,” Rasmussen said. “So, I shifted from CrossFit to Olympic weightlifting in 2021. That’s when I started breaking state and national records.”
Her first world record came almost by accident. “In 2022, I competed in Puerto Rico,” she said. “I was so new that I didn’t even know I had broken the record until a few months later when I got a certificate in the mail.”
But that record didn’t last long. “At Worlds later that year, another lifter broke my record,” Rasmussen recalled. “I’ve been chasing it ever since.”
Weightlifting isn’t just about brute strength. It’s a battle of nerves, focus, and mental discipline.
“You get three attempts at each lift,” Rasmussen explained. “If you miss all three in your snatch, you’re done; you don’t even get to finish the competition. The mental part is the hardest. You train for months, peak your body, and everything comes down to those few seconds on the platform.”
She knows that pressure all too well. Last December, at the American Open Finals, Rasmussen “bombed out” for the first time, missing all three of her snatch attempts. “It was awful,” she said. “My family was there, I’d sold shirts to fundraise, and I had sponsors watching. It felt like I let everyone down. That experience taught me a lot,” Rasmussen said. “When I stepped back on the big stage this year, I had to remind myself that one failure doesn’t define me. I’ve had way more successful lifts than failed ones. The key is to keep showing up.”
To stay calm under pressure, Rasmussen meticulously plans her approach. “I practice everything,” she said. “From what I’ll say to myself walking onto the stage, to where I’ll put my feet before I grab the bar. I even try to recreate the nerves in training because you can’t leave anything to chance.”
Behind the medals and records is a mom juggling it all. Rasmussen runs her own business, coaches athletes, and raises two sons, ages 14 and 10, all while training for elite competitions.
“I used to feel mom guilt,” she admitted. “I’d think, ‘I’m spending all this time at the gym, what am I taking away from my kids?’ But then I started seeing how it was impacting them. They’re learning what it means to set goals, work hard, to fail and keep trying.”
Her boys often join her at the gym or cheer her on from the stands. “It’s been cool watching them understand that being uncomfortable or failing isn’t something to fear,” she said. “They’ve learned that it’s part of growing.”
Rasmussen’s next goal is already set: the 2026 Masters World Championships in Athens, Greece. “I’ve always held the clean and jerk record,” she said. “But I’ve never held one in the snatch, that’s my mental block. That’s the lift I’ve bombed out on. But I’m close. I’m about five pounds away from the world record. Doing that in Athens would mean everything.”
Between now and then, Rasmussen is balancing training for both CrossFit and weightlifting, two disciplines that demand very different strengths. “This is the first year I’ve tried doing both,” she said. “I used to think I had to choose to be either strong or fast. Now I’m learning to be both.”
Her message to others is simple but powerful: “It’s never too late to start. It doesn’t have to be weightlifting,” she said. “Just find the thing that lights you up. It’s never too late to try something new, to get strong, to take care of yourself. When you do, you show your kids that health and passion matter and that you can build something amazing at any age.”
As she prepares for another year of competition and coaching, Rasmussen remains grounded in gratitude and grit. “Every time I lift,” she said, “I remind myself this all started because I needed hope. Now I get to show my kids what strength really looks like.”
