On a day plagued by technical difficulties and missed lifts, James Tatum rose above the confusion to provide a record-breaking performance during the 2016 USA Weightlifting University and Under 25 Nationals in New Orleans on Saturday. 

In the men's 85A session, Tatum snapped University records in the snatch, clean-and-jerk, and for total weight en route to the gold medal. His highlight-worthy effort came as the competition was frequently slowed by scoreboard and sound complications, especially during the men's 77A session. Keep reading for a full recap of each session below!

Don't miss a minute of the action. Stay tuned to FloElite on Sunday, September 25, to follow along with our coverage of the competition's final day.

Women's 63A Session

In addition to the technical issues seen in the A sessions, there was a competition bug experienced across platforms. One of the hardest hit was the women's 63A, which saw only four successful lifts in the first 12 attempts of the session. Altogether, only 14 of 36 attempts were made by the end of the snatch session, and four athletes did not finish the competition with a total.

In the clean-and-jerk, Cecily Basques provided a much-needed shift in tone for the session by breaking the University record with a 116kg lift. She also finished just 1kg under the total record. While this was not the session most of the competitors hoped for, many will see the national stage again in Orlando and Chicago in the coming months.

Men's 77A Session

Much to the frustration of the lifters, the men's 77A session witnessed the same complications as the earlier women's session, and the competition was regularly halted. While many of the lifters did not finish within their capabilities, some were unable to finish at all due to the interruptions.

Angelo Bianco placed first with a 312 total, followed by Rodriguez Ocasio with a 311 total. Andrew Allen, who finished atop the B session, finished with a bronze medal in the clean-and-jerk and for total amount in the Under 25 competition.

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Men's 85A Session

Ending the day on a high note, the men's 85A session competed at a better pace than the previous A sessions. After Collin Worm and Charles McDonald posted 135kg snatches to tie for the early lead, Tatum went 3 for 3 on his lifts and closed with a new University-record snatch of 159kg.

The competition would pick up in the clean-and-jerk, and the misses from this point on were from all-or-nothing bids to finish on the podium. With Tatum holding a significant lead, Worm and McDonald traded lifts in a battle for silver. Worm finished second in the session by lifting 173kg and totaling 308kg, while McDonald finished third with a 172kg clean-and-jerk and a 307kg total. Tatum then clinched his win with flawless execution. After a successful 180kg opener, he lifted 185kg for a new University clean-and-jerk record and a University total record of 344kg.


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By Matt Bergeron