Arab-American lifter sets Olympics as goal

posted on: May 23, 2015

Mahassen Hala Paiva is getting stronger, and Hunter Kemper, at 39 years of age, continues to show his athletic competitiveness.

Both are former area high-school standouts. Both compete in nontraditional but demanding sports.

Paiva (Port Orange Spruce Creek) is a weightlifter whose goal is to become the first female to represent Lebanon in the sport in the Olympics in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. Kemper (Lake Brantley) is a four-time Olympic triathlete.

She earned three personal bests and broke three state records at the East Coast Weightlifting Championships last month at Spruce Creek in the 69-kilogram (152-pound) weight class. Paiva, who weighs 139 pounds, broke records for the snatch, clean-and-jerk and total weight lifted.

Paiva is a former state high-school champion and a junior national champion who represented her father’s home country, Lebanon, at the world championships last November. Paiva, who holds dual citizenship (Arab-American), will compete in the USA nationals in August.

Source: www.orlandosentinel.com