[1] Escobar won the gold medal in the 58 kg category at the 2008 Pan American Weightlifting Championships.

[10] From an early age Escobar knew that sports would likely present the best opportunity to escape the poverty she had inherited at birth.

[11] Escobar first found international success in 2001 at the World Championships in Antalya, Turkey where she won a gold medal in the 53 kg Clean & Jerk event.

Escobar has also found considerable success on her home continent winning 18 gold medals in various major South American competitions.

The only thing I don't have is the Olympic medal, which is why I'm going to give it everything I have to win one in London.Escobar has yet to accomplish this goal as her best finish so far was fourth place in the 2008 and 2016 games.

After the disappointing finish in London, there was some speculation that Escobar would retire as she has spoken about an interest in coaching and studying sports science.

In October 2003, Escobar threatened to boycott the World Championships that were being held in Vancouver, Canada later that year unless the governing committee canceled a twenty thousand dollar fine that was imposed on a fellow competitor.

[13] Ultimately, the issue was resolved and Escobar attended the games winning a bronze medal in the 58 kg – snatch event.

This event painted Escobar as a martyr in the eyes of the weightlifting community and garnered her significant respect among her fellow competitors.