USA Weightlifting Press Realease regarding the 2014 IWF World Championships and Olympic Qualification Event

America’s Best Prepares for 2014 IWF World Championships and Olympic Qualification Event

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.—Team USA is gearing up for the all-important 2014 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships and Olympic Qualification event Nov. 4-16 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Most of the 15 prospective Olympians and USA Weightlifting standouts are training and making final preparations this week at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Each American athlete qualified to attend the prestigious annual IWF World Championships through their performances during the past year at international and national events.

“USA Weightlifting is excited to send our young athletes to compete against the best in the world,” USA Weightlifting CEO Michael Massik said. “As this is the first qualification event for the 2016 Olympic Games, it is a great opportunity for our athletes to test themselves against the best in the world. It is also a great opportunity for USA Weightlifting and the city of Houston to prepare to host the 2015 IWF World Championships.”

The eight male competitors and two male reserves for Team USA are as follows:  Caine Wilkes, +105kg, Wilkes Weightlifting, Chesapeake, Va. (Coach: Christopher Wilkes); Andrew Davis, 105kg, Team Florida Orlando, Orlando, Fla. (Coach: Tyrone Harvey); D’Angelo Osorio, 105kg, Hasslefree Barbell, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Coach: Kevin Doherty/Zygmunt Smalcerz), U.S. Olympic Training Center athlete; Colin Burns, 94kg, Texas Barbell, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Coach: Bo Sandoval/Smalcerz), U.S. Olympic Training Center athlete; Travis Cooper, 77kg, Team MDUSA, Fort Mill, S.C. (Coach: Don McCauley); James Tatum, 77kg, Team MDUSA, Fort Mill, S.C. (Coach: McCauley); Caleb Williams, 69kg, Peak Performance of Georgia, Gwinnett, Ga. (Coach: John Coffee); and Derrick Johnson, 62kg, Texas Barbell, Los Angeles (Coach: Ursula Papandrea). Darren Barnes, 56kg, East Coast Gold, St. Charles, Mo. (Coach: Jose Victor Gallego); and Kendrick Farris, 94kg, LSU Shreveport WLC, Shreveport, La. (Coach: Katrina Farris) are the team reserves.

Seven female athletes and two female reserves will represent Team USA: Holley Mangold, +75kg, Columbus Weightlifting, Columbus, Ohio (Coach: Mark Cannella); Marissa Klingseis, +75kg, Wesley Weightlifting, St. Joseph, Mo. (Coach: Dennis Snethen); Jenny Arthur, 75kg, Team Georgia WLC, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Coach: Smalcerz/Stan Luttrell), U.S. Olympic Training Center athlete; Geralee Vega Morales, 63kg, East Coast Gold, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Coach: Gallego/Smalcerz), U.S. Olympic Training Center athlete; Cortney Batchelor, 58kg, Gayle Hatch WLC, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Coach: Burns/Smalcerz), U.S. Olympic Training Center athlete; Morghan King, 48kg, unattached, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Coach: Dean Kruse/Smalcerz), U.S. Olympic Training Center athlete; and Kelly Rexroad Williams, 48kg, Coffee’s Gym, Gwinnett, Ga. (Coach: Smalcerz). Ellen Kercher, 53kg, LBH of NYC Department of Parks, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Coach: Smalcerz), U.S. Olympic Training Center athlete; and Kelly Charniga, 63kg, Dynamic Sport, Detroit (Coach: Bud Charniga) are the reserves.

Zygmunt Smalcerz, USA Weightlifting’s U.S. Olympic Training Center resident team coach, will serve as head coach for Team USA in Kazakhstan. Christopher Wilkes will also coach the American men, while Jose Victor Gallego will coach the American women.

Among the Team USA members, Mangold and Farris are Olympians, having lifted at the 2012 Games.

Caine Wilkes, Cooper, Caleb Williams, Vega, Arthur, King and Batchelor all competed for Team USA at the 2013 IWF World Championships in Poland.

Caine Wilkes, Davis, Osorio, Cooper, Tatum, Johnson, Arthur, Vega, Batchelor, King and Rexroad Williams all lifted at the 2014 Pan American Championships. Caine Wilkes is the current Pan American Champion in the 105+kg class.

Caleb Williams is the current American record holder at 69kg, Johnson is the current snatch and lift total American record holder at 62kg and Farris is the current clean and jerk and lift total record holder at 94kg.

Klingseis is a 2013 World Junior Championships medalist, and she also represented Team USA at the 2014 World Junior Championships.

Among the men, Johnson, Williams, Caine Wilkes, Tatum and Burns are 2014 U.S. National Champions. For the Team USA women, Mangold, Arthur, Batchelor, King and Vega are all 2014 U.S. National champions.

Press Release Via USA Weightlifting: Worlds Press Release