These Countries Have Struggled To Send Weightlifters to the 2024 Olympics. Here’s Why
The 2024 Olympics in Paris, France will host around 120 weightlifting athletes from all over the world — and a small handful who will march in blank uniforms and unadorned flags during the opening ceremonies. Russia and Belarus are among a small handful of nations whose weightlifting athletes and their member federations have bucked qualification […]
13-Year-Old Emily Ibanez Squats 3X Her Own Weight: 363.7 Pounds (165KG)
Tiny, but mighty; 13-year-old Olympic weightlifter Emily Ibanez is one of the strongest up-and-coming athletes in the world. Doubtful? The proof is in the pudding — on Jul. 5, 2024, Ibanez barbell back squatted roughly thrice her own weight. Ibanez’ 165-kilogram, or 363.7-pound, back squat 1-rep max (1RM) places her in an extremely elite cohort […]
“It’s a Privilege”: Meet 2024 Olympian Olivia Reeves
Weightlifting is a small sport by international standards and, in some ways, borderline microscopic in the United States. But Olympic lifting in recent years has puffed its chest somewhat, thanks in part to the CrossFit craze and, more specifically, efforts of phenomenal young athletes like Team USA’s Olivia Reeves. Reeves, 20, is a Paris-bound Olympian […]
“I’m Excited for Another World Record”: Meet 2024 Olympian Hampton Morris
Hampton Morris is heading to the 2024 Olympics in a unique position. Morris made modern history for the States once already this year when he set a clean & jerk Senior world record in April — a first for any American male in over half a century. He’s heading to the Paris Olympics, which run […]
“It’s Not About Redemption”: Meet 2024 Olympian Jourdan Delacruz
The 2024 Olympics in Paris, France, are on the horizon. Five of the United States’ best weightlifters will venture overseas for this summer’s Games, which run from Jul. 26 to Aug. 11. Team USA’s Olympic contingent contains five spectacular athletes, including 49-kilogram Jourdan Delacruz. The Texas-born Olympic weightlifter has had her sights set on Paris […]
Karlos Nasar Sets Unofficial World Records Ahead of 2024 Olympics…Again
With roughly six weeks until the 2024 Olympics, Bulgarian weightlifter Karlos Nasar is looking approximately unstoppable. When the qualification period commenced in 2022, Nasar was one of many names in the conversation for gold in Paris — nowadays he’s the favorite. On Friday, Jun. 28, 2024, news spread across social media that Nasar had lifted […]
The Only 3 Overhead Squat Mobility Drills You Need (According to a Weightlifting Olympian)
The overhead squat is a litmus test; if you can’t do one, you’re probably not as flexible as you think. It takes a truly extraordinary amount of mobility in your hips, ankles, shoulders, wrists, spine…well, everywhere, to squat down with a weight held overhead. Yet professional Olympic lifters (and Olympians, in Sonny Webster’s case) drop […]
Weightlifter Dislocates Finger Mid-Lift, Pops It Back Into Place to Win National Championship
When there’s a gold medal on the line, you take a page out of Nike’s playbook and just do it — exactly what weightlifter Cicely Kyle did at the USA Weightlifting (USAW) National Championships on Friday, Jun. 21, 2024. Kyle, 40, dislocated her left-hand middle finger during the biggest Olympic weightlifting meet in the States. […]
2024 USA Weightlifting Senior National Championships Full Results
The world of weightlifting may be abuzz about the upcoming 2024 Olympics in Paris, France, but USA Weightlifting‘s (USAW) National Championships Week is the talk of the town stateside. Pittsburgh, PA hosted the States’ best weightlifters from Jun. 15 to 23 for eight full days of barbells, bumper plates, and big lifts — including appearances […]
Every Weightlifter Competing at the 2024 Olympics
After being pushed to the brink of elimination, weightlifting has been confirmed for both the 2024 Olympics and 2028 Games in Los Angeles. Paris will host just over 120 athletes across 10 events — one of the smallest presences for any sport this Olympic cycle. The 18-month qualification period for the 2024 Olympics was simple, […]