Hampton Morris, among others, should put us weightlifting on the map

By: Thomas Seaman

As the pressure mounts ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics where athletes look to set new standards in their respective disciplines, one American performance has the weightlifting community buzzing. 

On April 2, Hampton Morris became the first American male to break a senior weightlifting world record in 55 years at the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand.

Despite having already punched his ticket to the Paris Olympics, Morris amazed at the World Cup. On his third and final attempt in the clean and jerk, Morris made the lift at 176 kilos setting a new junior and senior world record in the clean and jerk for the 61 kg weight class. 

While records in weightlifting may be frequent to come by for some nations, this lift marked a monumental milestone for both Morris and the sport of weightlifting in the United States. 

The ending of this 55-year drought marks an upturn in the competitiveness of American lifters on the global stage.  

While the sport often goes unnoticed in the US, years of hard work go into performing at the highest level in the sport. Unlike many other sports, weightlifting is in season year round with multiple events that athletes must attend on the route to Olympic qualification.

Despite the sports general lack of recognition from the public and lackluster compensation for competitors, athletes still devote themselves to the pursuit of Olympic glory. Generally, an athlete’s continued dedication to their sport year in and out despite them generally being underdogs would be seen as a classic American story. 

Unfortunately, it’s quite the opposite with some athletes, especially weightlifters (check that, especially female weightlifters) remaining largely unnoticed in American sports culture. 

But not for long. Not if 20-year-old Olivia Reeves has anything to say. 

In Phuket, the 71kg lifter brought home gold for the snatch, clean and jerk, and total, and will carry her momentum into the Olympics where she will enter ranked number two in the world behind Song Kuk Hyang, a North Korean athlete who will not be competing in Paris.

Another potential American Olympic medalist in weightlifting is thrower turned weightlifter Mary Theisen-Lappen who is currently ranked 5th in the world and 4th among athletes who will be competing in Paris this summer. Entering the Olympics, Theisen-Lappen will be a very competitive lifter in the 87+ kg category and will definitely have medal potential.

Overall, the American weightlifting team at this year's Olympics in Paris will be more competitive than it has been in decades. With medal contenders in both male and female categories it will be interesting to see how American lifters perform when it comes to the world’s biggest stage.