John Davis was the first weightlifting athlete to be inducted into the US Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame. He is, to this day, one of only two weightlifting athletes to be inducted.

Eight-time World Record setter Davis hailed from Brooklyn, New York and went on to be named to the 1940 Olympic Team. Though those Games were cancelled, he went onto become Olympic Champion in 1948 (London) and 1952 (Helsinki).

Davis first won the World Championship at just 17-years-old in 1938 in Vienna, Austria before going on to be the first man in history to beat the 400lb mark with his 402lb clean and jerk. He would go on to be a 16-time World Champion, while becoming the second man in history to total over 1,000lbs.

Black History Month: The Pioneer, John Davis

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