Team USA caps its winningest Youth Weightlifting World Championships with 14 medals

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After eight days of competition, the talented and strong team of teenagers that USA Weightlifting sent to the 2021 IWF Youth World Championships has left Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with 14 medals (five golds, five silvers and four bronzes) and an endless list of highlights.

There were lofty expectations for the U.S. team, which had won both the men’s and women’s team titles at the 2019 Youth World Championships when it was held in Las Vegas – also earning a team-high 16 medals there – and was entering Jeddah with the largest contingent of athletes.

Ranging in age from 14 to 17, the 20 Americans did not disappoint, emerging from Saudi Arabia’s first-ever IWF World Championships with the United States’ most gold medals in event history – five – and the greatest number of Americans to medal at a Youth Worlds – seven.

The 10 U.S. women, competing in six of the 10 weight classes, successfully defended the team title with nearly 150 points over Russia and Iran coming in third, while the U.S. men, who were entered in seven weight classes, placed second to Russia with Saudi Arabia third.

The U.S. was third in the overall medal count after Russia and Turkey, and tied Thailand for fourth in the count (behind Russia, Turkey and Colombia) when including only medals awarded for totals.

Team USA athletes earned both Best Female Lifter (Katie Estep) and Best Male Lifter (Hampton Morris); this is the first time in recent history that Americans claimed both at a world championship of any level.

Estep and Morris broke four youth world records, two apiece, accounting for half the world records set in Jeddah.

In addition to those records, Estep, Morris and Logan Lockwood accumulated seven Pan American records and 12 American records.

Estep swept the gold medals in the women’s 55kg. Her 89kg snatch is the new youth world record, youth (16-17) Pan American record, youth (16-17) American record and junior American record. Her 109kg clean and jerk is the youth Pan American record and youth American record, and her 198kg total is the youth world record, youth Pan American record and youth American record.

Morris’ silver medal-winning snatch of 120kg in the men’s 61kg set the youth (16-17) Pan American and youth (16-17) American record. He won the clean and jerk (156kg) and total (276kg) gold medals, giving Morris the clean and jerk records at the youth world, youth Pan American, junior Pan American, youth American, junior American and senior American levels, and the total records at the youth world, youth Pan American, youth American, junior American and senior American levels.

Competing in the 49kg, Lockwood’s 98kg clean and jerk broke the youth (14-15) American record.

In addition to Estep and Morris, medals for totals were earned by Haley Trinh(women’s 64kg bronze) and Alyssa Ballard (women’s 76kg silver).

Medals were also claimed by Miranda Ulrey (women’s 55kg snatch bronze), Trinh (women’s 64kg clean and jerk bronze), Mia Rhodes (women’s 71kg snatch bronze), Ballard (women’s 76kg snatch and clean and jerk silvers) and Colin Reis (men’s +102kg clean and jerk silver).

Days 2 and 3 (Oct. 6-7) were the most successful for Team USA, with half the medals (seven) coming from three athletes in just under 24 hours.

Every U.S. athlete totaled, with 10 of those totals placing in the top five of their weight class. The group hit 29 personal competition records as well.

Finally, four athletes – Ballard, Estep, Hutch Friend (men’s 67kg), Morris – made all their lifts, while another six athletes – Lockwood, Keontay Price(men’s 89kg), Haley Reeves (81kg), Reis, Rhodes, Trinh – went five for six.

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