Craig Richey of TeamRICHEY YouTube fame — a channel that covers the current events, athletes, and news in the CrossFit® space — competed at the 2022 British Senior Weightlifting Championships at the Derby Arena in Derby, England, on Jan. 29, 2022.
Richey weighed into the 89-kilogram weight class and his prowess with a barbell earned him the gold medal with a 291-kilogram total. Here were the results of that weight class, including Richey’s full performance:
2022 British Senior Weightlifting Championships | 89KG
- Craig Richey
- Snatch — 131 |
135| 135 - Clean & Jerk — 156 |
160|160 - Total — 291 kilograms
- Snatch — 131 |
- Stephano Cataldi
- Snatch — 122 | 126 |130
- Clean & Jerk —
155| 155 |170 - Total — 285 kilograms
- Christopher Russ
- Snatch — 124 |
128| 128 - Clean & Jerk — 145 |
150|153 - Total — 273 kilograms
- Snatch — 124 |
Richey recapped the event, his bout with “severe tendonitis” in his left knee early in his seven-month prep with his coach, Chris Freebury, an allergic reaction to neoprene knee sleeves that burned off his skin, and his future goals as an elite weightlifter in a YouTube video released on Feb. 1, 2022. Check it out below:
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Craig Richey’s Performance
Richey opened the competition with a successful 131-kilogram snatch. His nerves stepping on the lifting platform made him a bit shakey and he nearly lost his balance during the lift before securely locking it out. Though he could comfortably hit 136-kilogram snatches in training, his second attempt of 135 kilograms was unsuccessful as he “looked past the lift.” The barbell drifted forward and he was unable to save it before shimmying to the front edge of the platform.
Richey’s missed second attempt “fired him up” for his third attempt — again at 135 kilograms. That time around, he fully extended his hips to clear the bar overhead and stood it up without any hiccups.
Can’t complain with one kilo off my personal best on the platform.
After hitting a 150-kilogram clean & jerk backstage while warming up, Richey opened with a 156-kilogram clean & jerk on the competition platform. That opener is a routine weight for Richey and he used it to secure a good lift and guarantee a total. For his second attempt, he called for 160 kilograms on the barbell — a weight closer to the top of his range. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the weight that caused him to drop the barbell during that attempt, but the finish of the clean. The barbell tagged his windpipe and caused him to lose his balance and almost “blackout.” He quickly dropped the barbell and released his lifting belt.
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Richey repeated the weight on his third attempt and managed a successful clean, but he couldn’t lock out the jerk. He mentioned that he rushed that movement, and it cost him the stability needed for the lockout.
Coming off that third lift…I was gutted…but it made me hungry. I’m super excited to get back on the competition floor.
Richey intends to compete next in local events that don’t require him to peak, so he can acquire more experience in competition, improve his timing in each lift, and better his ability to “curve the nerves.” His goal for 2022 is to set British weightlifting records. Jack Dobson currently holds all three British records in the 89-kilogram class with a 140-kilogram snatch, a 175-kilogram clean & jerk, and a 308-kilogram total.
Featured image: @carrichey on Instagram