The 2016 USA Weightlifting American Open Championships are in full swing down in Orlando, Florida. Last night the youth athletes took the floor, and one young weightlifter made sure to leave his mark.
Morgan McCullough — or @Mad_Lifts_15 on Instagram — is a young weightlifter who competes in the 69+kg weight class, crushed a handful of American records in one night.
His snatch attempts above were 85kg (187 lbs), 89kg (195.8 lbs), and 92kg (202.4 lbs). The second and third attempts were American records.
His clean & jerk attempts below were equally impressive as he recorded 111kg (244 lbs), 115kg (253 lbs), and 118kg (259.6 lbs) and hit all three attempts. He broke his own clean & jerk record three times in one night.
Mccullough is currently 13-years old and has already compiled an incredible list of accomplishments in the strength world. For example, in his first national-level competition, he broke the Under 13 Youth American Record for the clean & jerk, hitting 109kg (240 lbs).
What may be even more impressive is this young weightlifter’s back squat, which currently sits at a 400 lbs for a 1-RM. On the Olympic lifting side, his top clean & jerk is currently 123kg (271 lbs) and snatch 95kg (210 lbs), which are less than the numbers he just broke the American records with.
Before McCullough started formally training at Mash Elite Performance about a year ago, it would appear he was equally as dedicated to getting strong. The video below shows him hitting a 145 lb front squat, which was posted in 2014, which would make him around 11 years old at the time.
It’s always great to see young athletes embracing a strength sport, especially when it’s evident they’re giving their heart and soul to progress and push the sport. With his amazing Olympic lifting progress and strong back squat at such a young age, might we see him hitting numbers like CJ Cummings when he’s 16?
The American Open ends this Sunday, and with over 850 athletes competing, never miss a beat with their live steam. For full athlete start list, check out this link.
Feature image from @mad_lifts_15 Instagram page.
