Reaching the podium proved to be too heavy a lift for American Jacob Schrom on Monday at the Tokyo International Forum, but he’ll leave his first Paralympic Games with a new personal best and hope for the future.Schrom captured sixth place in the men’s 107 kg. powerlifting competition at the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. The 33-year-old Carlisle, Pennsylvania, resident hoisted 218 kg. (480 pounds), 13 kg. off the podium but a new personal record.“There are so many emotions right now but all I can say is thank you,” Schrom said in an Instagram post. “I am thankful for everyone’s support over the years. I cannot tag everyone, but you have played a huge role in helping me along the way.“Thank you all for believing in me. I started the quad with an international best of 192kg and finished the cycle with 218kg. I feel there is a tide shift for our team on the international stage and I cannot wait to see what/who that looks like for Paris.”Sodnompiljee Enkhbayar set a new Paralympic record of 245 kg. on his second attempt to win the gold medal in Tokyo. Enkhbayar had also established the world record with a lift of 247 kg. in 2019. Yee Khie Jong claimed the silver medal with a best effort of 237 kg., while Saman Razi of Iran took home bronze with a lift of 231. Enkhbayar’s gold was the first medal of any kind at these Games for Mongolia. Schrom was the only athlete competing in powerlifting for Team USA in Tokyo.It has been a year of career bests for Schrom, who competed at two world cups in 2021 and recorded a new personal best in the second one, a fifth-place finish in Dubai in June. That finish helped boost Schrom into the top 10 of his weight class and earn him a Bipartite Commission invitation to the Games. Schrom was a junior world champion in 2010 and has also competed at the Parapan American Games.

Want to follow Team USA athletes during the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020? Visit TeamUSA.org/Tokyo-2020-Paralympic-Games to view the medal table and results.

Bob Reinert

Bob Reinert spent 17 years writing sports for The Boston Globe. He also served as a sports information director at Saint Anselm College and Phillips Exeter Academy. He is a contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.

Jacob Schrom Places Sixth In Paralympic Powerlifting Debut

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