Hampton Morris is one of the more prominent up-and-coming names in Olympic weightlifting. Amidst the absence of other notable stars, the athlete came through for Team USA at the 2022 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Pan-American Championships in Bogotá, Colombia.
On July 24, 2022, during the IWF contest in Colombia, Morris scored a 162-kilogram (357.1-pound) clean & jerk. The figure is a new Junior World Record for the 61-kilogram weight class. Per Team USA Weightlifting, Morris surpassed his own previous competition best of 161 kilograms (354.9 pounds) from the 2022 USA Weightlifting (USAW) National Championships in Las Vegas in early July. The new top clean & jerk figure in an international competition helped Morris win the 61-kilogram division overall en route to a gold medal and his second Pan-American title (2020).
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Here’s a complete rundown of Morris’ performance during the 2022 IWF Pan-American Championships:
Hampton Morris (61KG) | 2022 IWF Pan-American Championships Top Stats
- Snatch — 117 kilograms (257.9 pounds)
- Clean & Jerk — 162 kilograms (357.1 pounds) | Junior World Record (61KG)
- Total — 279 kilograms (615.1 pounds)
Morris’ output at these Pan-American Championships was mostly clean. The athlete missed just two of six overall lifts — a 117-kilogram (257.9-pound) first snatch attempt and a 122-kilogram (268.9-pound) third snatch attempt. He finished each of his clean & jerk attempts, finishing with the Junior World Record of 162 kilograms (357.1 pounds) on his third successful try.
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A Decorated Profile
Morris might be only 18 years old, but he’s amassed quite the weightlifting resume. With Morris’ second Pan-American title, the athlete now has six victories in international contests dating back to the Pan-American Youth Championships in August 2019. He possesses just one finish out of first place in that time frame — a second-place result at the 2021 Junior Pan-American Games in Cali and Valle, Colombia.
Here’s a rundown of Morris’ recent stellar output in sanctioned international weightlifting contests, per the IWF directory:
Hampton Morris (61KG) | International Competitive Ledger 2019-2022
- 2019 Pan-American Youth Championships — First place
- 2020 Pan-American Junior Championships — First place
- 2021 Youth World Championships — First place
- 2021 Pan-American Championships — First place
- 2021 Junior Pan-American Games — Second place
- 2022 Junior World Championships — First place
- 2022 Pan-American Championships — First place
Morris’ new Junior World Record clean & jerk is a major step up from his last appearance at the Pan-American Championships. In 2021, the weightlifter completed a 151-kilogram (332.9-pound) clean & jerk on the way to a gold medal. That means Morris has improved that number by 11 kilograms (24.2 pounds).
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Full Steam Ahead
Morris’ upcoming schedule as a weightlifter should stay busy. Team USA Weightlifting has stated that performances in the 2022 Pan-American Championships would significantly influence who the Americans pick to represent them at the 2022 IWF World Championships. That competition will also take place in Bogotá, Colombia sometime this December. (At the time of this article’s publication, the IWF has not confirmed a concrete date.)
At the time of this writing, Morris is on the 17-person roster for that competition, including noteworthy names like reigning Women’s 76-kilogram National Champion Mattie Rogers. Should Morris perform well at the IWF Worlds, he might be in contention for his first-ever appearance in the Olympics in Paris 2024.
At his pace, that might just be one of many eye-opening milestones in due time.
Featured image: @atginsta on Instagram