USA Weightlifting: Holley Mangold Not Afraid To Weigh In About Her Size

It wouldn't be easy for weightlifter and Dayton native Holley Mangold to hide from her size. That could be one reason why she has been open -- and comfortable -- with media about her 350-pound frame ahead of the London Olympics.

Mangold, the younger sister of New York Jets center and former Ohio State Buckeye Nick Mangold, has had her weight come up in numerous articles. The New York Times' feature couldn't get past the headline before invoking weight -- "She's 350 Pounds and Olympic-Bound" -- while this SI.com feature has a picture of a spherical Mangold playing high school football with boys. This article is no different.

Reuters' recent article about Mangold also discusses her weight. Or rather, Mangold discusses it:

"For me, I love being big. I think it's a great thing for me. I'll always be a big girl. I'm just a big kid....

"When I was younger I always wanted to be in the Olympics in gymnastics but my body didn't agree with that," said Mangold, who can still do the splits and who does a ritual cartwheel in the warm-up room before big competitions.

"My sister is 5-6, real tiny, runs marathons," Mangold said. "I have way more confidence than she has.

"I'm super comfortable with my body and a lot of people don't have that. I like to help people be a little happier with who they are. It's who I am."

Mangold, who has given talks to schools about being comfortable with your body, will compete in the 75kg weight class. Here is a complete schedule of men's and women's weightlifting.

Stick with this SB Nation Cleveland story stream for coverage of local athletes at the 2012 London Olympics. For more coverage, check out SB Nation's Olympics hub.