ORANJESTAD (AAN) – The Aruba Amateur Weightlifting Association (AAWA) proudly announced that 13-year-old Aurora “Rory” van Ulft made history by winning the 2026 IWF Youth World Championships in Santiago de Cali, Colombia.
Competing in the 44kg women’s division, Rory captured three gold medals and set two Youth World Records in her international debut representing Aruba.
She lifted 69kg in the snatch, followed by 93kg in the clean & jerk, establishing a new Youth World Record in the event. Her combined total of 162kg also set a new Youth World Record, securing the overall world championship.
Rory finished well ahead of Turkey’s Asel Senel and the Philippines’ Althea Bacaro. Following the competition, she described the experience as exciting and said the medal ceremony was something she had never experienced before.
Rory, who began weightlifting at the age of six, has remained unbeaten in competitions across Canada, the United States, Aruba and now the world since 2020. Although she holds Canadian and Dutch citizenship, she chose to represent Aruba internationally with the support of AAWA and the Aruba Olympic Committee.
AAWA congratulated Rory, her coach Spencer Moorman and her family, while thanking its partners for supporting Team Aruba. Rory’s next competition will be the Pan American and South American Youth Championships in Ecuador later this year.
