USA Weightlifting has just released a ton of information about the 2018 American Open Series. What’s the American Open Series, you ask? Why, it’s a series of three weightlifting events that lead up to the American Open Finals, which used to be known as the American Open.
The idea is that the American Open provides “an opportunity for all age and weight categories to gain more platform experience across the year and an opportunity for those who no longer meet raised totals on our traditional competitions to still compete at the national level.”
Here’s the scoop.
When Is the 2018 American Open Series?
- American Open Series I: Columbus, Ohio, March 1 – 4 (Arnold Classic)
- American Open Series II: Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, July 26-29
- American Open Series III: Las Vegas, Nevada, September 13-16
- American Open Finals: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, December 6-9
How Much Will an Athlete Have to Lift to Proceed Throughout the Series?
As much as they did this year! Here are the totals for senior and junior athletes. They’re arranged by class and total.
Male Athletes
56kg: 120kg
62kg: 134kg
69kg: 170kg
77kg: 195kg
85kg: 203kg
94kg: 213kg
105kg: 218kg
+105kg: 225kg
Female Athletes
48kg: 85kg
53kg: 94kg
58kg: 100kg
63kg: 110kg
69kg: 120kg
75kg: 125kg
90kg: 130kg
+90kg: 140kg
For Youth and Masters qualifying totals, check out the numbers on Team USA’s website.
So What’s Actually Different About the American Open Series in 2018?
Here’s the information straight from USAW’s site:
- Youth aged 15 and Under (as of 12/31/18) will now also have the opportunity to progress to the American Open Finals.
- The winning Sinclair-Meltzer-Faber formula athlete in the Masters category per age division (eg. W40) will advance.
- Youth athletes will now receive medals in the Snatch, Clean & Jerk, and Total.
- Athletes who enter the Masters or Youth categories will automatically be entered in the Open division with no need for a separate entry.
- Athletes will be group for scheduling by their weight category and entry total not separated by division.
Who Gets Awards?
The three best teams in the open division for both genders, so six overall. There is no teams competition for the Youth and Masters Division.
Featured image via @usa_weightlifting on Instagram.
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