LIVE UPDATES: Team USA Looking for Gold at 2023 Pan American Championships
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by USA Weightlifting
Team USA is heading home from the 100th Pan American Championships after a dominating showing in Bariloche, Argentina, the first qualifier of the year for next summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
With an impressive haul of 45 medals, including 20 gold, Team USA finished atop the medal table. Team USA women finished in first place in the team standings, with the men taking home second place. The 45 medals smashed last year’s total where Team USA scored 27.
Jourdan Delacruz’s stunning performance int he 48kg category earned her the best lifter award for the competition.
The full results book from the Pan American Weightlifting Federation is available here. Keep scrolling for a full recap of each of Team USA’s athletes.
Congrats to the Pan American Champions!
Women
48kg - Jourdan Delacruz
76kg - Meredith Alwine
+87kg - Mary Theisen-Lappen
Men
61kg - Hampton Morris
96kg - Nathan Damron
102kg - Ryan Sester
109kg - Wes Kitts
+109kg - Alejandro Medina
Saturday, April 1, 2023
Team USA capped off a strong showing at the 100th Pan American Championships in Bariloche, Argentina, Saturday, claiming 13 more medals, including two athletes taking home the top spot on the podium.
In the morning session, three-time Olympian and two-time Olympic Bronze Medalist Sarah Robles (+87kg, Team Houston, Desert Hot Springs, CA), looked to improve her position in the standings for a potential berth on an historic fourth Olympic Team. In the snatch, she took gold with her 120kg second attempt. She made her opener of 115kg and missed her third attempt at 125kg. In the clean & jerk, Robles made her third attempt of 151kg for bronze. She made her opener of 145kg and missed 150kg. Her 271kg total earned her the silver medal.
But it was her teammate, Mary Theisen-Lappen (+87kg, 1Kilo, Eau Claire, WI) who took the top spot on the podium. She claimed silver in snatch with a good 114kg third attempt. She made her opener of 110kg and missed her second attempt at 114kg. In the clean & jerk, Theisen-Lappen had a very strong showing, going a perfect 3 for 3, making 145kg, 152kg and 158kg to secure not only gold in the lift but to take the Pan American crown.
In the final session of the day, and the competition, the combined 109kg and +109kg categories, Team USA got off to a strong start which each athlete claiming a medal in the snatch.
In the 109kg, Wes Kitts (109kg, California Strength, Knoxville, TN), went a perfect 3-for-3 in the snatch, lifting 155kg, 160kg and 165kg to claim gold in the lift. He was unstoppable in the clean & jerk, lifting 199kg and 200kg for silver in the lift. With a 365kg total, and enough for the Pan American title, Kitts forewent his third attempt.
In the superheavyweights, Alejandro Medina (+109kg, Vero Beach Weightlifting, Miami, FL) took silver in the snatch by lifting a best 173kg third attempt. He made his opener of 165kg but missed 170kg on his second attempt. Tokyo 2020 Olympian Caine Wilkes (+109kg, unattached, Matthews, NC) went a perfect 3-for-3 in the snatch lifting 162kg, 167kg and 172kg to take bronze in the lift.
Friday, March 31, 2023
More medals plus some controversy rained down the penultimate day of competition for Team USA at the 100th Pan American Championships in Bariloche, Argentina Friday.
Nathan Damron (96kg, California Strength, San Jose, CA) got the day started on a strong note for Team USA, claiming three medals and the 2023 Pan American crown in the 96kg category. In Snatch, he successfully lifted his 145kg attempt. After missing 150kg on his second attempt, Damron came back to make 150kg on his third attempt to secure gold in the lift. In the clean & jerk, Damron went a perfect 3-for-3, lifting 180kg, 185kg and 190kg, to secure silver. His 340kg total earned Damron the title of Pan American Champion.
In the second session of the day, Mattie Rogers (81kg, Catalyst Athletics, Geneva, FL) took to the platform. She made her first two snatch attempts of 107kg and 110kg, but came up short on her third attempt of 112kg. She finished in fourth place in the snatch. In the clean & jerk, Rogers successfully made her opening attempt of 137kg. She missed her second attempt of 142kg. On her third and final attempt of 144kg, Rogers jerked the weight overhead. Despite receiving a down signal, and releasing the barbell in line with the rules governing the sport, two referees gave red lights for Rogers apparently not controlling the barbell. The jury did not intervene and no lift was awarded. With her 137kg attempt, Rogers finished in fifth in clean & jerk and fourth place overall with a 247kg total.
While this continental championship is the first qualifier of the year for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Video Playback Technology (instant replay) and challenge cards were not available for this competition.
In the last session of the day, Ryan Sester (102kg, unattached, Gresham, OR) claimed his first Pan American championship. He won silver in snatch with a 165kg second attempt. He missed his first attempt of 163kg and his third of 170kg. In the clean & jerk, Sester took gold with a 207kg second attempt. He made his opener of 198kg but missed his third attempt at 215kg. His total of 372kg was good for gold and the 2023 Pan Am Championship in the 102kg bodyweight category.
Saturday marks the final day of competition at the 100th Pan American Championships. Five Team USA athletes will take the platform.
Three-time Olympian and two-time Olympic Bronze Medalist Sarah Robles (+87kg, Team Houston, Desert Hot Springs, CA) takes to the platform at 6AM Pacific time. Robles hopes to claim her sixth superheavyweight Pan American title of her illustrious career.
2021 Pan-Am Champion Mary Theisen-Lappen (+87kg, 1Kilo, Eau Claire, WI), hopes to land on the podium again in Argentina. She enters the competition with a personal best 278kg total.
Closing out the day, Tokyo 2020 Olympian Wes Kitts looks to land on the podium in the 109kg category. Kitts, who won the 2019 Pan American Games title in the bodyweight category, won the Pan American Championships in 2018 and 2019.
In the superheavyweight category, reigning Pan Am bronze medalist Alejandro Medina (+109kg, Vero Beach Weightlifting, Miami, FL), looks to build on his career best 382kg. Tokyo 2020 Olympian Caine Wilkes looks to land on the podium this year after missing a spot on it at last year’s Pan American Championships. Wilkes won the Pan American Championships crown three times before in 2014, 2017, and 2019.
Catch the action here at http://usaw.live. Follow our Instagram for coverage from on the ground in Argentina.
Thursday, March 30, 2023 Update
Five athletes took to the platform Thursday at the 100th Pan American Championships, claiming more medals for Team USA, including one who won it all.
Tokyo 2020 Silver Medalist Kate Vibert (71kg, Power & Grace Performance, Atlanta, GA) and reigning Junior Worlds silver medalist Olivia Reeves (71kg, unattached, Chattanooga, TN) lifted in the first session of the day.
Nye went five-for-six sweeping silver. She made all of her snatch attempts (104kg, 107kg and 110kg). In the clean & jerk, she missed her opener of 134kg, but lifted that weight on her second attempt. She made her third clean & jerk of 138kg to make a 248kg total.
Reeves, meanwhile, made her opening snatch of 104kg, missed her second of 107kg but made 108kg on her third attempt to take bronze in the lift. In her clen & jerk, she made her 134kg opener, missed 138kg but came back to lift 139kg to take gold in the lift. Her total of 247kg gave her bronze.
In the next session, the 2021 Pan American bronze medalist Beau Brown (89kg, Heartland Strength, Colby, KS) struggled in the snatch, only making his opening lift of 146kg. He missed 151kg and 152kg to finish 6tth. In the clean & jerk, Brown lifted 180kg then 187kg but came up short on his third attempt of 196kg to finish 5th in the lift. His 333kg total gave him 6th place overall.
In the final session for the day for Team USA, Meredith Alwine (76kg, Team O.C., Altamonte Springs, FL) also struggled in the snatch. After making her opening attempt at 102kg, Alwine missed 105kg and 106kg to finish just off the podium with 4th place in the lift. She bounced back mightily in the clean & jerk, lifting 133kg then 136kg to win gold in the lift and gold in the total with 238kg. She is the Pan American champion.
Three more athletes take the stage on Friday. Team USA veteran Nathan Damron (89kg, California Strength, San Jose, CA) enters the competition holding the American Record in total of 370kg, which he made at last year’s IWF World Championships. Damron first competed for Team USA for more than a decade, including four IWF World Championships.
Then Mattie Rogers (81kg, Catalyst Athletics, Geneva, FL) will be in a battle for a spot at the top of the podium in the 81kg category and get one step closer to representing Team USA at her second Olympic Games. Rogers was the 2022 Pan American Champion in the 76kg category.
Ryan Sester (102kg, unattached, Gresham, OR) will close out the day, returning to the Pan American Championships for the third consecutive year. Sester, who didn’t post a total in last year’s competition, looks to be a contender for a spot on the podium of this year’s Pan American Championships.
Catch the action here at http://usaw.live. Follow our Instagram for coverage from on the ground in Argentina.
Wednesday, March 29, 2023 Update
Team USA racked up more medals on day 4 of the 2023 Senior Pan American Championships in Bariloche, Argentina Wednesday.
All eyes were on the men’s 73kg bodyweight category at this important competition and qualifier for next summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
Ryan Grimsland (73kg, Mash Elite, Lewisville, NC) had a nearly picture-perfect day in Argentina, going five for six, only missing his last clean & jerk attempt of 186kg. Grimsland swept silver on the medal stand, taking home medals for snatch, 141kg, clean & jerk, 182kg, and total, 232kg.
Teammate Caden Cahoy (73kg, Jacksonville Strength, Jacksonville, FL) claimed bronze in the clean & jerk with a 171kg lift. He didn’t post a total after struggling in the snatch, missing 135kg on all three attempts.
Four athletes are set to lift Thursday at the Pan American Championships. In the women’s 71kg category, Reigning Junior World silver medalist Olivia Reeves (71kg, unattached, Chattanooga, TN), is looking for a podium finish in her first senior Pan American Championships in her last year as a Junior. Reeves is a 2-time Junior Pan Am Champion, Pan Am Games gold medalist, and was the 2021 Junior World Champion.
Also lifting, Tokyo 2020 Silver Medalist Kate Vibert. While a senior now, she still holds a junior world record in snatch (112kg) in her 71kg bodyweight category. Vibert, the 2019 IWF World Champion, holds crowns from the 2019 and 2021 Pan American Championships and hopes to put her in a position to qualify for her second consecutive Olympic Games.
Then, 2021 Pan American bronze medalist Beau Brown (89kg, Heartland Strength, Colby, KS) returns to the World Stage with a career-best 343kg total. Brown, who last competed for Team USA at the 2022 IWF World Championships, finished 10th at last year’s Pan American Championships in Bogota, Colombia.
Then it will be Meredith Alwine (76kg, Team O.C., Altamonte Springs, FL) to take the platform. She looks to get herself in a position to land a potential spot on the 2024 Olympic Team. Alwine, the 2021 IWF World Champion, 2020 and 2021 Pan American Champion, heads into the competition with a personal best 243kg total.
Catch the action here at http://usaw.live. Follow our Instagram for coverage from on the ground in Argentina.
Tuesday, March 28, 2023 Update
Team USA’s Danielle Gunnin (59kg, Atlas Weightlifting, Monroe, GA) rewrote the American Records book on Day 2 of the 2023 Senior Pan American Championships in Bariloche, Argentina Tuesday.
In the women’s 59kg category, Gunnin came out strong, lifting 96kg on her opening snatch. She broke her American record of 98kg in the lift by successfully snatching 100kg on her second attempt. Gunnin attempted 103kg on her third attempt but came up short. She took silver in the snatch.
In the clean & jerks, Gunnin made her opening attempt of 116kg, followed by a 120kg good lift. That gave her a 220kg total, and a new American record. She missed her 122kg third attempt. She took home silver in total, bested by Tokyo 2020 Gold Medalist Maude Charron of Canada.
Also lifting in the 55kg, Taylor Wilkins (59kg, Vero Beach Weightlifting, Sebastian, FL) had a strong showing in the snatch, lifting 92kg and 96kg, while missing 98kg on her final attempt, winning bronze. In the clean & jerk, however, she missed her first two attempts of 119kg and her third attempt of 122kg. She did not post a total.
Team USA is back in action tomorrow with two more athletes taking the stage in this important Paris 2024 Olympic qualifier. This time it’s the men’s 73kg bodyweight category.
Caden Cahoy (73kg, Jacksonville Strength, Jacksonville, FL) makes his senior Pan American Championships debut in Argentina. Cahoy previously represented Team USA at the 2022 IWF Junior World Championships and the 2021 Junior Pan American Championships.
Ryan Grimsland (73kg, Mash Elite, Lewisville, NC) returns to the Pan American stage in Argentina. Grimsland, who last lifted in this competition for Team USA in 2021, is the reigning gold medalist in the Junior Pan American Games, after winning it all in the inaugural event in Cali, Colombia in 2021.
Catch the action here at http://usaw.live. Follow our Instagram for coverage from on the ground in Argentina.
Monday, March 27, 2023 Update
Team USA made a statement on the first day of competition of the 2023 Pan American Championships in Bariloche, Argentina, sweeping the top of the podium in two bodyweight categories and rocketing atop the medal table with nine medals on the day.
In the women’s 49kg category, Tokyo 2020 Olympian Jourdan Delacruz (49kg, Power & Grace Performance, Atlanta, GA) swept gold with an 86kg snatch, 112kg clean & jerk, and 198kg total. Her 112kg clean & jerk broke her American record in the lift, which she set at the 2021 Pan Ams in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Her 49kg teammate, Hayley Reichardt (49kg, Garage Strength, Leesport, PA), swept silvers in her bodyweight category. Reichardt lifted a best 86kg snatch, 111kg clean & jerk, and put up a 197kg total. Reichardt had the last lift of the competition, attempting to set a new American record in clean & jerk and take the gold in the lift and total with a 113kg attempt but came up short.
In the afternoon session, Hampton Morris (61kg, unattached, Marietta, GA) successfully defended his Pan Am title. Sweeping gold in the category, Morris lifted a best snatch of 123kg, best clean & jerk of 158kg for a 281kg total. Morris attempted new American records in snatch and clean & jerk, 126kg, and 164kg, respectively, but came up short.
His 61kg teammate, Brian Reisenauer (61kg, Union Weightlifting, Fargo, ND), also had a strong showing, snatching a best 120kg (5th) and a successful 141kg clean & jerk (6th). With a 261kg total, he placed 7th overall in the competition.
Two more Team USA athletes take the platform on Tuesday in Argentina. Taylor Wilkins (59kg, Vero Beach Weightlifting, Sebastian, FL) and Danielle Gunnin (59kg, Atlas Weightlifting, Monroe, GA) look to break through in the 59kg category. Wilkins, the bronze medalist in the category at last year’s Pan American Championships in Bogota, Colombia, is looking to improve on her personal best 217kg total. Gunnin is making her Pan American Championships debut after lifting for Team USA at the 2017 Universiade in Chinese Taipei and the 2019 IWF Grand Prix at the South America Games.
More than bragging rights are on the line at this competition. As the first qualifier of the year for next summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, this Pan American Championships serves as an important date on this year’s competition calendar.
Catch the action here at http://usaw.live. Follow our Instagram for coverage from on the ground in Argentina.
The road to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games stops in Bariloche, Argentina this week as the 2023 Pan American Championships is set to lift off Monday, March 27. Fielding a full team of ten men and ten women, Team USA has the potential for a strong showing at this pivotal, and first Olympic qualification event of the year.
One-hundred-fifty-six athletes from 19 Pan American countries will be lifting in Argentina. Spain sent three athletes as extras, bringing the total to 159 athletes from 20 countries to be represented on the platform in Bariloche, in the foothills of the Andes mountains about 1000 miles southwest of Buenos Aires.
"I have seen the hard work and dedication put in by our athletes day in and day out, and I have no doubt that Team USA is poised to make a statement," USA Weightlifting Senior Director of Sport Performance Mike Gattone said. "We are ready to compete with passion, focus, and determination, and I am confident that our team will deliver a performance that we can all be proud of."
Click here to watch the LIVE stream
The 2023 Pan American Championships will serve as a showcase for up-and-coming Team USA talent, world medalists, and a reunion, of sorts, for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Team.
Six of the eight Team USA Tokyo 2020 Olympians are set to lift in Argentina, as they work to represent the stars and stripes on the world’s greatest stage in 2024 in Paris. Olympians Jourdan Delacruz (49kg, Power & Grace Performance, Atlanta, GA), Kate Vibert (71kg, Power & Grace Performance, Atlanta, GA), and Mattie Rogers (81kg, Catalyst Athletics, Geneva, FL) are all vying to make their second Olympic Team. While Sarah Robles (+87kg, Team Houston, Desert Hot Springs, CA), is trying to make her fourth consecutive Olympic Games. On the men’s side, Wes Kitts (109kg, California Strength, Knoxville, TN) and Caine Wilkes (+109kg, unattached, Indian Trail, NC) are working to qualify for their second consecutive Olympic Games.
For Team USA women, Hayley Reichardt (49kg, Garage Strength, Leesport, PA) is looking to defend her 2022 Pan American title, with Tokyo 2020 Olympian Jourdan Delacruz also lifting in the women’s 49kg category, aiming to add to her bid to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Taylor Wilkins (59kg, Vero Beach Weightlifting, Sebastian, FL) and Danielle Gunnin (59kg, Atlas Weightlifting, Monroe, GA) look to break through in the 59kg category. Wilkins, the bronze medalist in the category at last year’s Pan American Championships in Bogota, Colombia, is looking to improve on her personal best 217kg total. Gunnin is making her Pan American Championships debut at this competition, after lifting for Team USA at the 2017 Universiade in Chinese Taipei and the 2019 IWF Grand Prix at the South America Games.
Reigning Junior World silver medalist Olivia Reeves (71kg, unattached, Chattanooga, TN), is looking for a podium finish in her first senior Pan American Championships in her last year as a Junior. Reeves is a 2-time Junior Pan Am Champion, Pan Am Games gold medalist and was the 2021 Junior World Champion. Vibert, the Olympic Silver Medalist in Tokyo, still holds a junior world record in snatch (112kg) in her 71kg bodyweight category. Vibert, the 2019 IWF World Champion, holds crowns from the 2019 and 2021 Pan American Championships, and hopes to put her in position to qualify her second consecutive Olympic Games.
In the women’s 76kg category, Meredith Alwine (76kg, Team O.C., Altamonte Springs, FL), looks to get herself in position to land a potential spot on the 2024 Olympic Team. Alwine, the 2021 IWF World Champion, 2020 and 2021 Pan American Champion, heads into the competition with a personal best 243kg total.
Mattie Rogers will be in a battle for a spot at the top of the podium in the 81kg category and get one step closer to representing Team USA at her second Olympic Games. Rogers was the 2022 Pan American Champion in the 76kg category.
An Olympic and world stage veteran, Sarah Robles, hopes to claim her sixth superheavyweight Pan American title of her illustrious career. The two-time Olympic Bronze Medalist, three-time Olympian and 2017 World Champion heads into Argentina a favorite to win it all. 2021 Pan-Am Champion Mary Theisen-Lappen (+87kg, 1Kilo, Eau Claire, WI), hopes to land on the podium again in Argentina. She enters the competition with a personal best 278kg total.
For Team USA men, the eyes of the world will be on reigning Junior World and Pan Am champion Hampton Morris (61kg, unattached, Marietta, GA). Morris, the 2021 Youth World Champion, holds the 61kg Youth World Records in clean & jerk (156kg) and total (276kg). He holds the 61kg Junior World Record in clean & jerk (160kg) but his best attempt at the lift came at last year’s Junior Pan American Championships when he lifted a career best 163kg.
Veteran Brian Reisenauer (61kg, Union Weightlifting, Fargo, ND) returns to the Pan Am stage with a career best 263kg. A member of Team USA’s 2017 World Championships team, Reisenauer looks to improve on his seventh-place finish at last year’s Pan American Championships.
Caden Cahoy (73kg, Jacksonville Strength, Jacksonville, FL) makes his senior Pan American Championships debut in Argentina. Cahoy previously represented Team USA at the 2022 IWF Junior World Championships and 2021 Junior Pan American Championships.
Ryan Grimsland (73kg, Mash Elite, Lewisville, NC) returns to the Pan American stage in Argentina. Grimsland, who last lifted in this competition for Team USA in 2021, is the reigning gold medalist in the Junior Pan American Games, after winning it all in the inaugural event in Cali, Colombia in 2021.
2021 Pan American bronze medalist Beau Brown (89kg, Heartland Strength, Colby, KS) returns to the World Stage with a career best 343kg total. Brown, who last competed for Team USA at the 2022 IWF World Championships, finished 10th at last year’s Pan American Championships in Bogota, Colombia.
Team USA veteran Nathan Damron (89kg, California Strength, San Jose, CA) enters the competition holding the American Record in total of 370kg, which he made at last year’s IWF World Championships. Damron first competed for Team USA for more than a decade, including four IWF World Championships.
Ryan Sester (102kg, unattached, Gresham, OR) returns to the Pan American Championships for the third consecutive year. Sester, who didn’t post a total in last year’s competition, looks to be a contender for a spot on the podium of this year’s Pan American Championships.
Tokyo 2020 Olympian Wes Kitts looks to land on the podium in the 109kg category. Kitts, who won the 2019 Pan American Games title in the bodyweight category, won the Pan American Championships in 2018 and 2019.
In the superheavyweight category, reigning Pan Am bronze medalist Alejandro Medina (+109kg, Vero Beach Weightlifting, Miami, FL), looks to build on his career best 382kg. Tokyo 2020 Olympian Caine Wilkes looks to land on the podium this year after missing a spot on it at last year’s Pan American Championships. Wilkes won the Pan American Championships crown three times before in 2014, 2017, and 2019.
Be sure to follow our social media platforms and check back here at USAWeighltifting.org for coverage from Argentina. Team USA competition times are below and the livestream is available at http://usaw.live.
Team USA Competition Times (Pacific Daylight Time) #
| Day | Athlete | Time (PDT) | Session |
| Monday, March 27 | Hayley Reichardt | 8:00 AM | W49A |
| Monday, March 27 | Jourdan Delacruz | 8:00 AM | W49A |
| Monday, March 27 | Brian Reisenauer | 12:30 PM | M61A |
| Monday, March 27 | Hampton Morris | 12:30 PM | M61A |
| Tuesday, March 28 | Danielle Gunnin | 12:00 PM | W59A |
| Tuesday, March 28 | Taylor Wilkins | 12:00 PM | W59A |
| Wednesday, March 29 | Caden Cahoy | 7:00 AM | M73A |
| Wednesday, March 29 | Ryan Grimsland | 7:00 AM | M73A |
| Thursday, March 30 | Kate Vibert | 7:00 AM | W71A |
| Thursday, March 30 | Olivia Reeves | 7:00 AM | W71A |
| Thursday, March 30 | Beau Brown | 10:00 AM | M89A |
| Thursday, March 30 | Meredith Alwine | 1:00 PM | W76A |
| Friday, March 31 | Nathan Damron | 7:00 AM | M96A |
| Friday, March 31 | Mattie Rogers | 9:00 AM | W81A |
| Friday, March 31 | Ryan Sester | 12:00 PM | 102A |
| Saturday, April 1 | Sarah Robles | 6:00 AM | +87A |
| Saturday, April 1 | Mary Theisen-Lappen | 6:00 AM | +87A |
| Saturday, April 1 | Wes Kitts | 8:00 AM | 109A |
| Saturday, April 1 | Caine Wilkes | 8:00 AM | +109A |
| Saturday, April 1 | Alejandro Medina | 8:00 AM | +109A |
