KEARNEYSVILLE - Maryam Grafton was pretty certain she had earned a spot on Team USA's 15U women's international weightlifting team after a strong performance at the national competition in June.

However, when the official word came down that she would representing her country in this month's 15U Pan-American Youth Championships, there was still a lot of excitement after hearing the news.

“At nationals, I didn’t know I was on the team, but I already had an idea that I was, because I made the total. I was really excited and really proud of myself," she said. "When I officially found out, I was driving here, and my coach calls me, and he’s like, ‘You just made Team USA.’ And I was like, ‘I saw it.’ I was so happy.”

That performance at nationals propelled her to a spot on Team USA. For the

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