Lifting weights has always been a major part of Jacob Schrom’s life, but now it is more than just a hobby. Schrom is a member of the U.S. Paralympics Powerlifting National Team and recently competed at his first IPC Powerlifting World Championships, which were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. When Schrom was at Penn State University he first learned about Ability Athletics, which supports and funds student athletes with physical disabilities. He then started competing in weightlifting.
Schrom is looking to the future towards the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. He said that he is “working out in the gym as hard as possible to get strong and increase [his] rank as much as possible.” He added, “Having made a world championship team, I realize how important it is to represent our country. Making the team to London will only be a larger scale competition in which we need to represent our country well.”
One day when Schrom was on the job, the brakes failed on the truck that he was driving and he was tossed out of the window. Consequently, the truck rolled over twice and then landed on his legs. As a result, his right leg had to be amputated above the knee, but he has not let that slow him down.
Schrom is currently a senior at Penn State, majoring in landscape contracting and design. He hopes that for his future he will have a long and prosperous career in powerlifting.
- 2010: First place, junior 90kg division - IPC Powerlifting World Championships, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia