USA Weightlifting Hosting Over 1,500 for National Championships Week

COLORADO SPRINGS - The strongest athletes in America are en route to Colorado Springs. USA Weightlifting, the national governing body for Olympic weightlifting in the United States, is hosting the 2025 National Championships June 21-29 at Colorado College’s Ed Robson Arena. Over 1,500 registered athletes between ages 7 and 60 will take the platform, including seven Olympians, numerous National Team Program members, and 20 athletes who’ve made a World Championships team since 2021. Nationals Week kicks off with youth (U17) competition June 21-23, followed by junior (ages 18-20) competition June 24-26, and concludes with senior (ages 21+) competition June 27-29.  Spectators can watch all the action by buying tickets here. Nationals Week will also stream live entirely through Maestro (single day & event passes available). 

Full National Championships Week information (Start Lists, Tickets, Schedules)

“We’re very excited to bring our National Championships back to Colorado Springs and Ed Robson Arena,” USAW CEO & President Matt Sicchio said. “The City of Colorado Springs and Colorado College were tremendous hosts the last time we were here in 2023, and our members loved the venue and location. The proximity to downtown Colorado Springs, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum, Old Colorado City, Manitou Springs, and all of the extra curriculars the area has to offer truly makes Colorado Springs an ideal location for our premier event. I can’t wait to welcome and celebrate our community in Olympic City USA over the coming days.”

Participating Olympians include Jenny Arthur (Rio), CJ Cummings (Tokyo), Jourdan Delacruz (Tokyo & Paris), Hampton Morris (Paris, bronze medalist), Mattie Rogers (Tokyo), Mary Theisen-Lappen (Paris), and Caine Wilkes (Tokyo). Arthur notably hasn’t competed at a national level meet since 2020’s Arnold Sports Festival. She’s coming off the Mountain North WSO Championships in May where she lifted 107 kg in the snatch and 122 kg in the clean & jerk for a 229 kg total. That snatch tied what she did at the Rio Olympic Games and is one kilo under her lifetime best. Delacruz, Morris, Rogers, and Theisen-Lappen are all slated represent the United States in a few short weeks at the Senior Pan American Championships July 12-18 in Cali, Colombia.

Spectators will be in for a treat as numerous national-level athletes will be shooting to make USA’s Senior World Championships team. Senior Worlds runs Oct. 2-11 in Forde, Norway, and the National Championships are the final qualifying event. Athletes already above the qualifying line who will be in Colorado Springs include Cici Kyle, Rogers, Sophie Shaft, Theisen-Lappen, and Miranda Ulrey on the women’s side, and Eddie Ginnan, Morris, and Ryan Sester on the men’s side. Nationals Week registrants who are on the bubble and looking to move into qualifying position include Katie Estep (63kg), Victoria Jefferson (86 kg) and Ava Biesterfeld (69 kg).

Additional athletes to keep an eye on include three past winners of the Masters Triple Crown. The MTC is awarded to athletes who earn gold in the total at the Masters National Championships, VIRUS Weightlifting Finals (formerly NAOF), and either VIRUS Weightlifting Series 1 or Series 2 (formerly NAOS). Christopher Douglas, Kimberlee Douglas, and Samantha Love all won the award for their efforts in 2024, and each will take the stage at this year’s Nationals.