4 Weightlifters Set for Junior Pan American Games

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay – The second Junior Pan American Games will take place from August 20-23, 2025 in Asunción, Paraguay. Ryan McDonald (88 kg), Jade Morales (53 kg), Nicole Caamano (69 kg), and Ella Nicholson (77 kg) will represent the United States in this every-four-year event. Weightlifting in Paraguay runs August 20-22, and fans can see every lift live via the Panam Sports Channel stream here.

Junior Pan American Games Daily Schedule

In the inaugural Junior Pan American Games in 2021, 10 athletes from the United States earned three gold, two silver, and two bronze medals. That team included future Paris Olympic medalists Hampton Morris and Olivia Reeves. Due to a combination of different qualification procedures (available here), including the 2025 Pan American Junior Championships being the only qualifying event, Team USA will send a smaller team of four athletes to Paraguay.

Team USA Schedule

Schedule subject to change following Verification of Final Entries. VFE runs Aug. 19 from 3:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. ET

All Times Eastern

August 20

1:00 p.m. - 53 kg Jade Morales

August 21

3:00 p.m. - 88 kg Ryan McDonald

August 22

11:00 a.m. - 69 kg Nicole Caamano

3:00 p.m. - 77 kg Ella Nicholson

Ryan McDonald’s best competition total heading into 2025 was 308 kg as an 81 kg, which currently has him ranked number one on the National Team Program (NTP) Developmental rankings at 109.22% of the youth A standard. He has since jumped up to 88 kg and put 24 kg onto his total, lifting 144/188/332 for three PRs at the National Championships in Colorado Springs. He took first place as a junior and second as a senior lifter at Nationals, following a ninth-place finish at Junior Worlds and a silver medal at the Pan American Junior Championships this year. He will be the sole representative of a men’s team that saw five athletes combine for one gold, one silver, and two bronze medals in 2021.

Jade Morales took gold in her first Pan American Junior Championships in March. She went 6-for-6 and lifted 76/102/178 to finish third in the snatch, first in the clean & jerk, and first in the total by one kilogram. The 17-year-old also earned bronze in the total at Youth Worlds last year. Morales sits at 13th on the NTP Developmental rankings based on her 178 kg total at this year’s Pan Am Junior Championships – 99.441% of the junior A standard.

Nicole Caamano earned bronze at the 2024 Pan American Junior Championships. A few months later, she placed sixth at Junior Worlds and lifted 215 kg. That total, 101.415% of the junior A standard, has her sitting at fifth on the NTP Developmental rankings. In 2025, Caamano missed the podium at the Pan Am Junior Championships and placed 14th at Junior Worlds in Peru. She will represent Team USA for the fifth time in her career in Paraguay, and has a chance to earn hardware at a Pan American event once again.

Ella Nicholson hasn’t finished anywhere but first in a competition since November 2023 at her first Junior World Championships. Since then, she has earned gold at two Junior Worlds, two Pan Am Junior Championships, and the 2025 National Junior Championships. Nicholson will look to extend her international first-place streak to five competitions in Asuncion. She also has not missed the podium in any lift at her six international competitions, collecting 18 medals overall. Nicholson is fourth on the NTP Women’s Gold rankings with her 244 kg total from the 2024 Junior World Championships at 102.521% of the senior A standard.