Dr. Karyn Marshall giving a TED talk in Navesink, New Jersey in 2015. Background: Dr. Karyn Marshall, DC, (born 1956 in Miami, Florida) is an American Olympic weightlifter of Norwegian descent who is notable for being world champion in 1987. She set 60 American and world records in women's weightlifting and is the first woman in history to clean and jerk over 300 lb (136 kg).