RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – After giving birth to three children, Melanie Roach rewarded herself by returning to competitive weightlifting.

It paid off in a bronze medal at the Pan American Games.

Roach, of Bonney Lake, Wash., came back two years ago with hopes of qualifying for the Beijing Olympics. Her performance in the 53-kilogram class should help the 32-year-old lifter in that quest.

Roach lifted the most weight she has in nine years: 182 kilograms, or 401.24 pounds. That placed her behind Yudelquis Contreras of the Dominican Republic and Ana Margot Lemos of Colombia.

“I’m so happy, it’s exactly how I wanted it to end today,” said Roach following the medal ceremony on Sunday night. “Obviously … I would have liked to have done more in the snatch. It put me in a position where I really had to focus and stay determined to make that big lift. That’s the most I’ve done in nine years.”

She is married to Dan Roach, a state legislator in Washington. they have two boys, Ethan (6) and Andrew (4), and a daughter, Camille (2). Their son Andrew is autistic.

Asked if her kids would be proud of Mom, she said, “I hope so. I was looking at their picture before I started. I am grateful for everything I’ve been given. I am truly blessed.

“I took a little break and had three kids. I’ve been back for almost two years now, and everything ended exactly as I wanted,” Roach added.

Protecting the equine athletes

The Rio Military Village area, where Deodoro Sports Complex is located, has had problems with ticks, which cause several diseases, including piroplasmosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. They could put at risk the health of horses brought to Rio for the Pan Ams equestrian competition.

But the Brazil Sports Ministry and Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro took great care to handle any such threat. Led by veterinarians Carlos Massard and Fernando Queiroz de Almeida, the organizers eliminated the ticks from all areas around the complex, using more than 13,000 miticides applications.

“The organizing committee has done an excellent job in their efforts to eradicate ticks in the venue. So far everything seems to be fine,” said U.S. equestrian team chef de mission Jim Wolf, who serves as executive director of high performance at the U.S. Equestrian Federation.

“This is standard procedure when we travel all over the world with horses,” added Karen O’Connor, one of the U.S. riders. “These are diseases you don’t want to bring back to the U.S., and there is a tick-born disease endemic in this country. The ministry has done incredible things to ensure our safety, including constantly scrubbing and spraying. They’ve done a fantastic job, and everyone here feels comfortable with their ability to control any diseases here.”

President Speaks

Early Monday, Brazil president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he was disheartened by being jeered at the games’ opening ceremony Friday.

“I’m particularly sad because I went there prepared for a party,” Silva said in his “Coffee with the President” radio show. “It’s like I was invited for a friend’s birthday and a group of people at the party didn’t want me there.”

Silva was booed every time his name was mentioned and did not give the scheduled speech to officially open the games. He was hastily replaced by Brazilian Olympic Committee president Carlos Arthur Nuzman.

“There were some operational problems,” sports minister Orlando Silva said.

The Pan American Games – which run until July 29 – are seen as a test for Rio as it hopes to host other international sporting events, including the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics.