Professional Colombian weightlifter Jeison Lopez, 17, is the definition of a powerful teenage athlete. He competes in the youth 77kg weight class and continually pushes new limits. Lopez has his eyes set on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and with his epic 2016 display that dream doesn’t seem so far off.
His most recent Instagram video highlights a 5-second paused hang snatch at 130kg. The comfort and speed Lopez displays during the hold and finish definitely suggest he has more in the tank.
In addition to the above video’s crazy feat of power, Lopez can also jump. When it comes to producing power, the vertical jump is often regarded as one of the best ways to predict force production.
The video below features Lopez performing two back-to-back jumps with the second jump being taller, or at least as tall as him. This video doesn’t state a height of the jump, so we’ll let you decide just how high you think it is.
To top off Lopez’s impressive power and strength resume, below is a casual 270kg back squat. It’s a crazy video because he’s shaking through the whole unrack and step back, yet makes the lift look smooth and solid.
Granted, one should expect his strength to be high with how powerful his lifting is, but that’s 3.5 times his body weight. Plus, he’s only 17.
This June at the 2016 Junior World Weightlifting Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, Lopez was a dominant force. He set not only one, but three world records for the youth 77kg weight class.
The first record he set was a 160kg (352 lb) snatch, then followed that with a 191kg (420 lb) clean & jerk. These lifts put him in a small group of teenagers to perform these feats of strength at his weight. His third record was the combined total of these lifts, which was 351kg (772 lbs).
From the looks of Lopez’s videos, 2017 is already looking like a strong year for this teenage Colombian weightlifter.
Feature image from @jeison_lopez99 Instagram page.