Tara Nott stunned the weightlifting world when she hoisted 82.5 kg (181 pounds) in the snatch and 102.5 kg (225.77 pounds) in the clean and jerk for an American-record total of 185 kg (407.48 pounds), taking the gold medal in the 48 kilogram (105 pound) class in the Sydney Olympics.

A former gymnast and soccer player, Nott, who stands five-feet, one inch tall and weighs 105 pounds, trained in both sports at Colorado Springs' Olympic Training Center before taking a job on the staff of ACOG, the Atlanta Olympic Games organizing committee.

One night while having dinner with Olympic support staff friends she mentioned how much she'd like to find a sport to help maintain her physical conditioning. Somebody suggested she give weightlifting a try, and the rest is history.

The winner of five national titles, including the 1996 crown claimed just eight months after entering the sport, Nott has trained full-time at the OTC since 1997. Here is a day in the life of Tara Nott, along with her comments:

7:45 a.m. – Wakeup and get ready for a day of training. I live right here at the Olympic Center so once I get ready I head to breakfast.

8:30 a.m. – Breakfast in the Athlete Center. "I usually have two eggs, cottage cheese, fruit and things like that."

9 a.m. – Training room to prepare for the day's workouts. "I like to get heat and stretch before workouts. It's great to have all the facilities you need right here together."

9:30 a.m. – Workout. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, this is the first of two training sessions. "We go through different phases in our workouts, depending on how close we are to a competition. We might do low, medium or high volume with a variety of reps and sets. It all changes based on what our coaches want us to do. The coaches here do a great job. (Lyn Jones coached me from 1997-2001; Bob Morris is my current coach.)

"We have a special weight room just for the lifters. We all train together, 25 at a time, which makes a very exciting environment. It's a very positive atmosphere, very intense; it helps take you to the next level."

11:30 a.m. – Stretching exercises and ice therapy in the training room after the workout.

Noon – Lunch in the Athlete Center. "I like to have salad, a chicken breast, steak, vegetables, cheese, fruit, things like that. It's basically a balanced meal of proteins, carbs, fat. I try to eat healthy, but some days I'll let myself have some cake and French fries. The people in the cafeteria do a great job. The food is good and there's a big variety. And they'll help you with any special diet needs. Once when I was trying to lose weight before a competition they went out of their way to help me and give me what I needed."

12:45 – “I go back to my dorm room. I like to relax and try to take a nap.”

3 p.m. – Preparation for second workout. "I'll get a little heat and stretch to get ready." 4 p.m. – Second workout. "One reason this sport appeals to me is that it's both mentally and physically challenging. To learn the snatch is very difficult because it's so technical. It really is a challenge. When I go into the gym every day I try to give myself a little personal record to try to do that day. Whether it's the squat, power snatch, there are so many variations."

6 p.m. – Ice, stretching and some time in the sauna

6:45 p.m. – Dinner in the Athlete Center. "(laughing) Anything somebody else cooks for me is excellent because I don't like to cook, but the food is really good. It's a tremendous help to me to have a cafeteria like this.

Since I don't like to cook, this takes away a lot of stress. Not worrying about grocery shopping helps too."

7:30 p.m. – Back to the dorm for the evening. "I like to read and hang out with my teammates.”

In addition to the facilities, coaches, trainers and meals, Nott has benefited from the Olympic Training Center's experts in the field of biomechanics.

“Biomechanics play a huge role in weightlifting. Technique is very important to my sport. It's a lot like gymnastics was. Biomechanics help you analyze things like bar placement, trajectory, and movement. You might think you're doing something well, but you're not. Your coach can tell you how to do something, but you're not quite doing it right, but it helps to see it on video. When you look at the stick figures (on a computer) or the video, you can really see what you are doing wrong. It helps you make the changes you need to make.

"Seeing it is very beneficial. We do it quite a bit."

And now you can see how much time and effort goes into making an Olympic champion weightlifter and some of the reasons why Nott credits the Olympic Training Center with helping her dreams come true.