Last summer, Izzy Zach earned a golden opportunity.

The rising senior at Navarre finished second at the USA National Weightlifting Championships in Pittsburgh, landing her a spot on team USA for the Pan American Games in Ecuador.

But then came the devastating news, a clerical error and paperwork meant she wouldn't be allowed to compete.

USA officials still let her travel with the team and lift at the training sessions.

Where is he produced a stunning personal best effort that would have been good enough to win gold.

But as much as I was proud of it and also kind of like made it hurt even more because it didn't count and knowing that if I just would have done paperwork right, I would have been walking away from into my first international meet with a gold medal in my hands by ten kilos, like filled my heart but broken even more.

Izzy is remarkable.

Journey in weightlifting had begun just two years earlier.

After pursuing various sports, from competitive cheer to soccer.

Her interest was sparked after trying CrossFit.

She went out for Nova's weightlifting team as a sophomore.

I like clicked, it was like a fire, you know, like I had this, like, burning, like passion for lifting, you know?

I was like, I'm so passionate about this.

Like, I love this sport.

It's you versus you every single day that just like the it like, makes you so tough, you know, like mentally.

And I think that is so cool.

Izzy quickly became a force thanks to natural strength and aptitude.

Combined with off the charts effort.

She can work like you would not believe.

And she is incredibly hard on herself and she just has to work ethic that just was unconquerable to anybody I've ever trained.

She trains like a savage.

Her inner determination was accentuated by being part of Navarro's heralded girls weightlifting program that has won numerous team state championships.

That's a really big deal when you're a Navarra girls weightlifter, lifting on that team and having all of those like, girls work so hard before us to create the legacy that we have.

I think that's so special.

Remarkably, she qualified for the state tournament in her first year lifting and followed it up by winning state as a junior and again as a senior in dominating fashion.

All these sessions and all of these like hard times and all the like, I don't know if I can do this anymore.

And, you know, in all of these struggles, you know, I knew that it was all going to be worth it.

You know, like walking that stage and having the gold medal around my neck like that meant so much to me.

She has learned to conquer adversity.

Being mental tough is what, makes a great weightlifter.

And take take in her level of maturity that she's gathered over the last year.

She is a fierce competitor now.

I don't think I don't think anybody in the state of Florida can hold a candle to Izzy's act, that's for sure.

On the college level, it's mostly smaller schools that have weightlifting programs.

It has been offered by pretty much all of them.

But she's choosing to forgo that to attend Florida Atlantic and pursue a career in physical therapy.

As much as I love the sport, and as much as I am passionate about it, my future means more than this sport does.

I don't want to short myself.

Career opportunities because of this.

That said, she'll continue to train with Coach Palladino and is in position to be chosen for the USA Weightlifting Program, a feeder system for potential Olympians.

I think we started talking about it maybe within the first six months of me training here, I'm like, hey, you could go the distance, you could make the Olympics.

The opportunity is the Olympics and so be it.

You know, like, that's awesome.

But if it's pursuing, you know, like my dream of being a physical therapist, then I'm going to work towards that and not the Olympics.

I wanted to be an Olympic wheelchair for a long time.

But then again, priorities.

I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm just going to figure it out as it goes.