Another record lift for CJ Cummings as he repeats as world youth champion

Beaufort weightlifter CJ Cummings shook off a bout of travel fatigue to break one of his youth world records and match another, good enough to successfully defend his crown at the IWF Youth World Championships in Bangkok, Thailand.

Cummings cleared 185 kilograms (407 pounds) in the clean and jerk Friday, breaking the mark of 182kg he set in winning last year’s youth worlds. Combined with a lift of 137kg in the snatch, his winning total of 322kg (709 pounds) in the 69kg weight class matched a 15-year standard.

Turkey’s Tanir Sagir first set the combined record of 322kg in May 2002. On Friday, Cummings’ performance was 16kg (35 pounds) better than runner-up Ri Kwang Song of North Korea.

“We’ve been saying it for years now — CJ Cummings is a force on the international stage,” said USA Weightlifting chief executive Phil Andrews. “His performance in Bangkok was incredible. We cannot wait to see what the future holds for CJ.”

Cummings’ coach, Ray Jones, said the day was even more impressive considering Cummings didnt arrive at the arena at his best.

“After two days of travel and adjusting to the local area, CJ wasn’t as sharp as he could be,” Jones told a USA Weightlifting liaison. “But he came out here and did the lift. It was one of the best performances I have ever seen.”

Cummings looked slightly off-balance as he took the bar from his shoulders over his head, but he promptly managed to steady his feet underneath. He drifted forward a few steps before receiving the signal of a clean lift from judges.

The Beaufort High junior broke into a wide smile as he let the bar drop, bowing to the audience before leaving the platform.

“It was an amazing feeling,” Cummings said, “especially when athletes from all over the world came up to me and congratulated me.”

Both the 185kg lift in the clean and jerk and his 322kg total were personal bests, breaking Cummings’ own American record in both categories.

As it turned out, Cummings was only the front end of a historic 24 hours in American weightlifting. Harrison Maurus also set a youth world record Saturday with a 192kg (423 pound) lift on the way to winning the 77kg weight class.

It marked the first time since 1969 that two U.S. men have held world championships at the same time.

“It was an unbelievable day,” said Mike Gattone, USA Weightlifting’s assistant national teams director. “After watching the American flag raised and the Star-Spangled Banner played two nights in a row, I told our team we must believe we all have what it takes to be world champions.”

This story was originally published April 8, 2017 at 4:43 PM with the headline "Another record lift for CJ Cummings as he repeats as world youth champion."