The 2022 USA Weightlifting (USAW) North American Open (NAO) Series 1 competition took place from March 3-6, 2022, at the 2022 Arnold Sports Festival (ASF) in Columbus, OH. With nearly 2,000 weightlifters competing at the expo’s Celeste Center, Mary Theisen-Lappen stunned the weightlifting world by exceeding her stated total of 275 kilograms (606.3 pounds) by three kilograms and besting two-time Olympic bronze medalist Sarah Robles en route to the gold.
Theisen-Lappen’s 163-kilogram (359.4-pound) clean & jerk is the new American record in the Women’s superheavyweight category. Here are her full stats from the 2022 USAW NAO Series 1:
2022 USA Weightlifting North American Open Series 1 — Mary Theisen-Lappen | +87 Kilograms
- Snatch — 115 kilograms (253.5 pounds)
- Clean & Jerk — 163 kilograms (359.4 pounds)
- Total — 278 kilograms (612.9 pounds)
Robles claimed the silver medal with a 276-kilogram (608.5-pound) total and Kuinini Manumua came in third with a 236-kilogram (520.3-pound total). Check out Theisen-Lappen’s American record clean & jerk in the video below, courtesy of her Instagram page:
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The previous American clean & jerk record of 162 kilograms (357.2 pounds) — scored by Robles at Event 3 of the 2018 USAW America Open Series in Las Vegas, NV — stood for three and a half years. For reference, Cheryl Haworth‘s 128-kilogram (282.2-pound) snatch from the 2003 National Championships remains the American snatch record. Robles still holds the American total record in the superheavyweight division with her 290-kilogram (639.3-pound) total from the 2018 IWF World Championships, held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
The American clean & jerk record has been in the sights of Theisen-Lappen for quite some time. She’s hit some immensely heavy jerks in training, including a 182-kilogram (400-pound) block jerk, which might be the heaviest jerk ever performed by an American woman. Per Theisen-Lappen’s caption on her Instagram post, she attempted 163-kilograms (359.4-pounds) in this same meet two years prior but was called for a press out.
Theisen-Lappen’s success at the 2022 USAW NAO Series 1 highlights the drastic improvements she has made over the past couple of years and we can expect her to continue that trajectory as she seeks a spot on Team USA for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Editor’s Note: BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting. The two organizations maintain editorial independence unless otherwise noted on specific content projects.
Featured image: @coachmaryyy on Instagram
