Olympic weightlifting hopes fall short for Beaufort's CJ Cummings

CJ Cummings’ Olympic dreams will have to wait another four years.

The Beaufort teen left Sunday’s U.S. Olympic Trials in Salt Lake City without landing a berth on the team being sent to next month’s Pan American championships, the next step for lifters on the road to the Rio Games in August.

Cummings came to Salt Lake City ranked 10th on USA Weightlifting’s qualification ranking list, based on performances in major meets dating back to last year’s World Championships. Only the top eight, regardless of weight class, would receive Pan American berths, and the 15-year-old lifter could not improve his numbers.

Sunday’s combined weight of 293 kilograms — adding his best in both the snatch and clean-and-jerk — was second in the 69kg weight class, but short of what he lifted at last fall’s American Open.

Alex Lee won the division with a total of 312 kilograms, solidifying his place on the Pan American squad, with Cummings taking the silver medal.

Cummings topped out at 130 kilograms in the snatch portion of the competition and easily cleared 163 in his first lift in the clean-and-jerk. He failed in his second lift at 170 kilograms, then was forced to go even higher when Lee set an American record of 177 on his final lift.

Ordering the bar set at 178 kilograms, Cummings easily got the weight to his shoulders. But he could not complete the second move above his head, hopping up and down in frustration after letting the bar hit the floor.

This story was originally published May 8, 2016 at 9:22 PM with the headline "Olympic weightlifting hopes fall short for Beaufort's CJ Cummings."