16 Athletes Set for 2026 Senior Pan American Championships
PANAMA CITY, Panama – Sixteen United States weightlifters are set to take the platform in Panama City, Panama, April 27-May 1 for the 2026 Senior Pan American Championships. The U.S. team features a plethora of world-class athletes, including four Olympians and seven previous Sr. Pan Am champions. Those seven have combined for 13 collective Senior Pan Am total titles in their careers. Competition will run at the High Performance Center, with streaming expected via the Pan American Federation’s YouTube Channel.
Senior Pan American Championships Start Book
Watch the Senior Pan American Championships via the Pan American Federation's YouTube Channel
Team USA Historical Results
IWF World Records
| Name | Wclass | Hometown | Best Snatch | Best C&J | Best Total | Coaches Name | Club | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olivia Reeves | 69kg | Chattanooga, TN | 125kg | 156kg | 279kg | Steve Fauer | Unaffiliated | oliviareeves.71 |
| Mary Theisen-Lappen | 86+kg | Eau Claire, WI | 120kg | 164kg | 284kg | Wil Fleming | 1Kilo | marytheisenlappen |
| Mattie Rogers | 77kg | Pensacola, FL | 113kg | 143kg | 256kg | Aimee Everett | Catalyst Athletics | Mattierogersoly |
| Sophia Shaft | 63kg | Cantan, MI | 107kg | 133kg | 240kg | Zach Caswell | Optimus Barbell | sophie_shaft7 |
| Katie Witte | 86kg | Aberdeen, SD | 109kg | 136kg | 245kg | Vinh Huynh | Sanctuary Barbell | katiewitte01 |
| Miranda Ulrey | 53kg | Grantville, PA | 98kg | 121kg | 219kg | Kyle Fields | Fourteen Forty Collective | miranda_ulrey |
| Anna McElderry | 86kg | Oley, PA | 108kg | 132kg | 240kg | Dane Miller | Garage Strength | annnnnamcelderry |
| Estelle Rohr | 69kg | Wilmington, NC | 97kg | 128kg | 222kg | Brittany Rucker | Bexar Barbell | stand_it_up_stellyyy |
| Hampton Morris | 65kg | Marietta, GA | 140kg | 187kg | 324kg | Tripp Morris | Unaffiliated | hamptonmorris |
| Kolbi Ferguson | 110kg | Lincolnton, GA | 174kg | 222kg | 396kg | Tim Swords | Team Houston | N/A |
| Caden Cahoy | 79kg | Jacksonville, FL | 155kg | 198kg | 353kg | Chad Cahoy | Jacksonville Strength | CadenCahoy |
| Aaron Williams | 110+kg | Lawton, OK | 187kg | 233kg | 418kg | Wil Fleming | 1Kilo | Awill59 |
| Ed Ginnan | 79kg | Homer Glen, IL | 150kg | 193kg | 343kg | Daniel German | Myriad Weightlifting | eddie_ginnan |
| Gabe Chhum | 60kg | Hamilton, GA | 130kg | 160kg | 290kg | Jeremy Warner | Max Kane Barbell | gabriel_chhum |
| Brandon Victorian | 88kg | Fort Worth, TX | 157kg | 193kg | 350kg | Chris Lofland | BlueWave Weightlifting | mrvic27 |
| Hutton Boles | 88kg | Knoxvill, TN | 162kg | 187kg | 349kg | Kaleo Cornwell | Standard Strength | hutton.boles |
Last Time Out
In 2025, 15 American athletes combined for 30 medals at the Senior Pan American Championships in Cali, Colombia. The women’s team placed first and the men’s team placed third, with three champions on each side. Olivia Reeves produced four world record lifts at 69kg, and Hampton Morris hit a 181kg at 65kg to claim a clean & jerk world record that he still holds today. Morris continued his perfect streak of four Sr. Pan Am Championships titles in four appearances, while Rogers added her third title. Ferguson, Williams, Ulrey, and Reeves each earned total gold in what was their first Sr. Pan Am Championships appearances.
All-Time Senior Pan American Championships medal count
(1) Mattie Rogers | 23 (8 gold, 13 silver, 2 bronze) |
(2) Caine Wilkes | 22 (7 gold, 11 silver, 4 bronze) |
(3) Sarah Robles | 20 (15 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze) |
(T4) Jourdan Delacruz | 12 (9 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze) |
(T4) Wes Kitts | 12 (6 gold, 5 silver, 1 bronze) |
(T4) Kate Vibert | 12 (5 gold, 7 silver) |
(T4) Hayley Reichardt | 12 (4 gold, 6 silver, 2 bronze) |
(8) Hampton Morris | 11 (10 gold, 1 bronze) |
(T9) Meredith Alwine | 10 (6 gold, 4 bronze) |
(T9) Casey Burgener | 10 (5 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze) |
Experience Matters
The United States will return 11 out of 15 members, responsible for 27 of 30 medals, from last year’s Sr. Pan Ams team. Rogers leads the team with nine previous appearances, Morris has four and Theisen-Lappen has three. Reeves and Cahoy sit at two, while Chhum, Ginnan, Ferguson, Williams, Ulrey, and McElderry each debuted last year. Rogers will break a tie with Sarah Robles for the most Sr. Pan Am appearances by an American with her tenth. If Morris wins again, he would break a tie with Robles for the most consecutive Sr. Pan Am titles with what would be his fifth in five straight appearances. A fifth title would tie Robles for the most titles, consecutive or not, by an American.
All-Time Senior Pan American Championships titles
(1) Sarah Robles | 5 |
(2) Hampton Morris | 4 |
(T3) Meredith Alwine | 3 |
(T3) Jourdan Delacruz | 3 |
(T3) Wes Kitts | 3 |
(T3) Mattie Rogers | 3 |
(T3) Caine Wilkes | 3 |
New Faces
Victorian, Boles, Rohr, Shaft, and Witte will be making their Sr. Pan Am Championships debut. For Victorian, it will be his second experience on the Pan American stage, as he placed seventh at the 2023 Senior Pan American Games. He also finished top ten at the 2025 Senior World Championships. Boles placed second at the 2024 Jr. Pan Am Championships, and has represented the U.S. at two Junior World Championships. This will be Rohr’s second major international competition, as she placed sixth at the 2024 IWF World Cup. Since 2023, Shaft has competed in five age-group specific World Championships, but this will be her first Pan American competition. In 2025, she placed third at Jr. Worlds and fifth at Sr. Worlds. Witte is a two-time Jr. Worlds team member.
Competition Schedule
All times local (EST, UTC -5)
Monday, April 27
12:00 p.m. - M60 - Gabe Chhum
2:00 p.m. - W53 - Miranda Ulrey
5:00 p.m. - M65 - Hampton Morris
Tuesday, April 28
3:30 p.m. - W63 - Sophie Shaft
6:00 p.m. - M79 - Caden Cahoy, Eddie Ginnan
Wednesday, April 29
10:00 a.m. - W69 - Olivia Reeves, Estelle Rohr
1:00 p.m. - M88 - Brandon Victorian, Hutton Boles
3:30 p.m. - W77 - Mattie Rogers
Thursday, April 30
10:00 a.m. - W86 - Anna McElderry, Katie Witte
12:00 p.m. - M110 - Kolbi Ferguson
2:30 p.m. - W86+ - Mary Theisen-Lappen
5:00 p.m. - M110+ - Aaron Williams