A world away, family watches Beaufort weightlifter’s Olympic debut. ‘Still a champion’
Faces of bulky weightlifters with thighs like tree stumps twisted from the physical strain of battling bars with massive discs on each end.
The men’s weightlifting competition was underway at the Tokyo Olympics early Wednesday, before most residents of Beaufort had downed their first cup of coffee.
C.J. Cummings of Beaufort, S.C., part of Team USA, was one of the weightlifters.
At Carolina Sportscare and Physical Therapy in Beaufort, family members gathered to watch their star. Their faces were twisted, too, but with emotion, sometimes joy, other times pain. It’s not easy to watch a loved one live out their dream on the world stage.
“I’m trying to just keep it calm like any other competition, but I get nervous when he gets to the platform,” his mother, Savasah Cummings, said at 6:30 a.m., just before the competition was to begin. “So right now I’m not feeling too anxious, but when I get in front of that television, it will be on.”
As C.J. Cummings prepared to lift, sister Crystal pressed her cheek close to her 3-year-old son Jakari’s face. Her daughter, 10-year-old Christin, buried her face in the ends of her long-sleeved shirt. Mom Savasah folded her hands in front of her, as if in prayer. Dad Clarence seemed cool. But he exploded like a proud father with cheers when Cummings had a successful lift. And like the others, he slumped into his chair when he didn’t.
‘Not what we wanted’
Cummings had an off day.
He finished ninth with 325 kg (716 pounds) combined in the snatch and clean/jerk categories. He attempted a world-record 198 kg in the clean and jerk on his final attempt, the only chance he had to medal.
China’s Shi Zhyong won the gold with a world-record total of 364 kg.
Afterward, Crystal Cummings said her brother, feeling the pressure, “put too much on himself.”
“Not what he wanted,” Crystal said. “Not what we wanted.”
The watch party for the Beaufort native at Carolina Sportscare and Physical Therapy was arranged by Jim Denton, one of the practicing partners. He says Cummings has been treated for injuries at the sports care facility. His coach, Ray Jones, is the wellness and fitness director there.
When it was over, clients of the sports therapy business who shared the roller-coaster viewing experience with Cummings’ family stopped by to congratulate them.
Cummings’ best lifts at the Olympics, Crystal noted, were far below his best. Nonetheless, the family left proud of their son, brother and uncle.
“Still a champion in my eyes,” Crystal said.
This story was originally published July 28, 2021 at 11:10 AM.
