Full Steam Ahead: Arnold and Delacruz Ready to Tackle Paris

Heading into Tokyo, Jourdan Delacruz was doing some of her best lifting. She had a real chance to medal, as she had just set three American records at the rescheduled 2020 Pan-American Championships. After lifting 89/111/200 at 49 kg, Delacruz and her coach, Spencer Arnold, had their sights on an Olympic medal.

“Last time it was ‘Man, if we can hit this snatch and hit this clean and jerk and beat this athlete, it'll give us this medal’,” Arnold said while reflecting on their mindset heading into Tokyo 2020. “That has not been how we approached any competition ever.”

Arnold and Delacruz bumped up the starting weight by one kilogram for the snatch. She hit 83 kg, then she hit 86 kg. That would be the last weight she hit in Tokyo. After missing the 89 kg snatch attempt, they selected to start the clean and jerk at 108 kg. This was a four-kilogram increase from the Pan-American Championships just three months prior, and it proved to be too much.

But Arnold and Delacruz didn’t let the story end there.

“Not many coaches get the chance to look back at an Olympics and say, ‘Here's five or six things I would have done differently’ and then get to actually do them differently,” said Arnold, who is still by Delacruz’s side as they head into Paris 2024.

Delacruz has been a sure-fire athlete for Team USA’s Olympic team since her last full competition in September when she got back to her best total with an 88/112/200 at the IWF Senior World Championships. In 2020, that would have earned her a bronze medal. In 2024, she doesn’t care.

“What Jourdan has always done when she approaches really healthy, good competitions, it’s ‘I really want to snatch this and I want to clean and jerk this and total this’, so who cares where the field is?” Arnold said of their mindset heading into their second Olympics. “Who cares who is out there, who cares what numbers they're doing, what numbers they're picking next?”

Delacruz agreed with her coach, saying that she even asked him and others to not show her the start list for Paris. She wants to stay focused on herself, her progression, and what she wants to do.

“Historically, any competition that I've medaled in, it's been a bit of a surprise because I was more so focused on myself rather than the competition,” Delacruz said of the reasoning behind their mindset. “And once it was all over, then I realized that I got a medal. So, that's the approach that we want to have going into Paris.”

Arnold doesn’t regret what happened in Tokyo, but looks at Paris as a chance to learn from past mistakes. He wants to make the week feel as close to a normal competition as possible and make the weights a reflection of training as opposed to a chase for a certain medal. It’s all about Jourdan Delacruz, and it is certainly not a redemption story.

“Let's make sure you're proud of what you did, make sure you represent the country well, and let the chips fall where they might,” Arnold said on the experience they’re chasing.

And for Delacruz, she’s just excited to enjoy the full experience of going to the Olympics. Last time around, COVID regulations barred her from being able to attend opening or closing ceremonies, watching teammates, and watching other sports. She had to compete on the first day and leave on the second. Alongside the freedom to attend events outside of her own, she is looking forward to bringing her family and close friends along.

“A great day is coming off the platform and having my family and my friends there – all with very happy faces and I’m just…” Delacruz commented on what a great competition day in Paris would look like. “That part makes me really emotional because I just can’t wait to see all of them there.”

Her coach is confident that they’ll be able to put smiles on everyone’s face as they watch Delacruz compete.

“I feel really good about some of the changes we've made in the approach that we're taking this time versus last time,” Arnold commented on their run-up to Paris. “Also, it helps when you're training really well, and she’s training really well.”