On Thursday, May 8, the 2014 Pan American Championships & Continental Qualification Event for the Youth Olympic Games — to be held this summer in Nanjing, China — was hosted in Lima, capital city of Peru. This annual event brings together the best youth weightlifters from the continental Americas.
CJ Cummings, of Beaufort, competed in the 62 kg (136 lbs.) category, sweeping championship gold medals across the board in the snatch, clean & jerk, and total and also finishing first in the qualification event for the Youth Olympic Games this summer.
CJ snatched 233 lbs and 242 lbs before a close miss at an American record 251 lbs. This was followed by successful clean & jerk attempts at 300 lbs, 308 lbs and 320 lbs, for a personal record of 562 lbs total. Both the clean & jerk at 320 lbs and the 562 pound total broke CJ’s own existing Youth American Records.
On Friday, May 9, lifting in the 77 kg (177 lbs) category, Omar Cummings of Beaufort broke all three of his personal records in the completion, snatching 231,244. Then he won a bronze medal with a personal record of 251 lbs, followed by successful clean & jerk attempts at 300 lbs, 315 lbs and 326 lbs for a 577 lbs personal record combined total.
Omar finishing fourth in the championship competition and second in the qualification event, in a six for six performance for the day.
Team Beaufort also recently returned from the USA Youth National Weightlifting Championship where they won the boys national team title for 13 and under, boys 14-15, and the overall boys title for the seventh year in a row.
Lifting above his weight class to help his team score more team points, CJ set six Youth American Records.
CJ is now five weeks out from competing in the open Men’s Nationals in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he has an opportunity to set weightlifting history. He will attempt to break the men’s American record as a 14 year old.
