Hampton Morris is a “20-year-old who trains in his garage at home in Marietta, Georgia.” On Wednesday, Morris became the first U.S. men’s weightlifter to take home a medal of any color “at the Games in four decades.” As reported, “narrowly missing out on a world record that would have gotten him silver, Morris followed Mario Martinez and Guy Carlton from Los Angeles in 1984 as the most recent American men to medal at the Olympics.”
Morris exclaimed with unbounded enthusiasm: “It’s amazing that I’m able to leave that kind of mark in the sport,” Morris said after finishing third in the men’s 61-kilogram division. “I’m just in disbelief.”
Additional weightlifting achievements included China’s Li Fabin defending his Olympic weightlifting title after going in as the overwhelming favorite to repeat. The 31-year-old set a Games snatch record by lifting 143 kilograms (315 pounds) on his third and final attempt.
“That paved the way to gold for Li, who set the top Olympic snatch and overall marks in this category three years ago when winning in Tokyo.” Already with a big lead, Li lifted 167 kilograms (368 pounds) in the clean and jerk to seal it with a score of 310. Theerapong Silachai of Thailand got the silver for medal at 303.
Weightlifting is a Morris family commitment. His father, Tripp, coaches him. His mother, Anne Marie, and his sister, Etta, have sacrificed to enable him to “lift at such a high level.” Hampton’s grandmother drives him to physical therapy every week.
Hampton is now setting his sights on Los Angeles in 2028.
Details of his performance in Paris disclose the avoidance of a near injury, “when he slipped on his first clean and jerk.” USA Gymnastics senior director of sport performance Mike Gattone, standing nearby, said, “That’s the third guy I’ve seen slip on that platform.”
Further details include that Morris moved the bar forward for his second attempt and was successful on the 172 kilogram (379 pound) lift. “That put him in medal position at 298.” Locked into a medal, “he went for a clean and jerk world record attempt of 178 kilograms (392 pounds) and came up just short of completing it.”
“I knew I had it in me,” Morris said. “Any other day, I would definitely have a shot at making it. Today I had a shot of making it.”
