Cheryl Haworth was born on April 19th, 1983 in Savannah, Georgia, USA. Haworth began her weightlifting career in 1996 at the age of 13 and started traveling internationally for competition at 14. She began breaking American Records at 15, Pan-American Records when she was 16 and still holds the snatch American and Pan American Record of 128kgs. Haworth is still credited with a Youth World Record, also in the snatch, of 125kgs made at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 when she was 17 years old.
Until the Rio 2016 Olympics, Cheryl had remained the last American to win an Olympic weightlifting medal (Bronze, 2000 Sydney) and still is the last American to win a medal at the World Championships (Bronze, Doha, Qatar). Cheryl is a Goodwill Games Champion, Pan American Champion, two-time Junior Worlds Champion and competed in the Olympics three times. In 2004 Athens, Haworth earned 6th overall and came up with a fourth-place finish in 2008 Beijing.
Cheryl was also the national champion from 1998-2008, eleven times consecutively. She has been a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Live! with Regis and Kathy Lee (breaking the American Record Clean and Jerk live on television) interviewed by Tom Brokaw, Bob Costas, Katie Couric, Matt Lauer and others. Cheryl has been photographed by Annie Leibowitz, Howard Schatz and Mary Ellen Mark, to name a few and has appeared in numerous books, magazines, newspapers and other publications.
Cheryl is presently a weightlifting coach in Atlanta, Ga. running Haworth Weightlifting Barbell Club (@haworthweightlifting), teaching seminars, coaching clinics and traveling in an effort to promote the sport of Olympic weightlifting.
Ayse Sukola was born September 18th 1980 and raised in Ankara, Turkey. She arrived in the United States when She was 21 to complete her internship after earning her degree in Food and Beverage Management and Hospitality. As fate would have it just a couple months before She was to return home she met her husband. They in short order got married, adopted pets, bought a house, had a beautiful daughter and established her life and career in the United States.
Originally her sports background was swimming. So beginning at age of 5 she started to swim. For the next 14 years she swam, living within an intense training program for over decade. She has placed 3rd 200 meter backstroke and 200 meter medley Junior European Championship in 1994. Ayse has placed 1st and 2nd consistently in National and Local ranking at youth championships 1990-1994.
Thanks to her early introduction to swimming Ayse has been athletic her entire life, constantly trying new things. She was an Executive Chef for 10 plus years at a high intensity corporate restaurant but that changed quickly when she joined local crossfit gym, and ultimately started Olympic Weigh Lifting at 2014. Ayse has found her new passion through barbell. Ayse’s 1st international competition was 2015 Pan American Masters an placed 3rd on 75kg weight class.
Her new passion, love and joy through Olympic Weight Lifting became her career. Ayse earned her CPT (Certified Personal Training) and CES (Corrective Exercise Specialist) certificates through NASM and USA Weightlifting Sports and Performance Level 2, Crossfit Level One and also decided to get a certification from one of the top Nutrition Companies – Precision Nutrition.
Ayse is a L2 Olympic Weightlifting coach in Woodstock, Ga. running The Garage Barbell Club at Cross fit Garage (@thegaragebarbellclub) coaching Cross fit classes, teaching USAW Level 1 Coaching Courses with Rachel Bammocino and coaching clinics.
Robert Hall is a Level 2 USAW Weightlifting Coach and candidate for National Coach status. As an athlete, Robert has enjoyed a 20 year tenure as an Elite Athlete on the Youth, Junior, University, and Masters levels, winning medals on the national and international stage.
Robert is the Founder and Head Coach of Atlanta Performance, and in his ten years as a coach has produced athletes on the national and international levels. Outside of weightlifting, Coach has produced multiple youth athletes from middle and high school into the collegiate level, earning scholarships for football, basketball, and baseball.
