[HIGH PERFORMANCE]


LOOKING BACK ON AN EVENTFUL


YEAR An overview with USA Weightlifting High Performance Director, Peter Roselli Written by Libby Arnold


Despite the challenging circumstances,


USA Weightlifting ended the year with results of Olympic inspiration. More spe- cifically, the year lifted off with enthusiastic team efforts and continued with superiority in creating winners. And winners we are. The year began at the Arnold Sports Fes-


tival in Columbus, Ohio, the combination of the National Championship and Olympic Team Trials proving to be a crowd-pleaser. A large audience gathered round to cheer for participating athletes in the excitement of the final Olympic Games qualifying com- petition for the US women—an event not taken lightly. “The athletes competed vigor- ously among themselves,” said Peter Roselli, USA Weightlifting High Performance Direc- tor, “which allowed us to nominate the best women for the US Olympic Team.” “Even though a few lifters could not


participate, the overriding concern for Na- tional’s was to create the best men’s team to challenge for a men’s Olympic Games slot at the Pan American Championships and to identify the top two women for par- ticipation in the Games. And we succeeded. Sarah Robles and Holley Mangold won first and second place at the women’s trials, and places on the US Olympic Team.”


The excitement continued in Antigua,


Guatemala where the men secured an Olym- pic slot and completed the year-long com- petition among themselves, to determine which would be the next male U.S. Olympi- an. “The men’s team had been plagued by illness and had only a two week recovery pe- riod between the Pan Am Games in Guada- lajara, Mexico and the World Championship competition in Paris in 2011, and was unable to qualify any men’s slots for London at the world level; it was quite an achievement we were able to get one man qualified for the Games in Guatemala.”


Proudly, Kendrick


Farris seized the sole men’s slot resulting in his second Olympic Games appearance. At the London 2012 Olympic Games,


Team USA competed with heart and in- spired their audience. Sarah Robles alone accomplished three personal records while competing in the Women’s 75+ kg division, lifting a 120 kg snatch and a 145 kg clean and jerk. Her total of 265 kg earned her 7th


place


overall—an outstanding performance. Also in the Women’s 75+ kg division, Holley Man- gold achieved a 105 kg snatch and a 135 kg clean and jerk which earned her 10th


place


with a total of 240 kg. “But don’t let those re- sults mislead you. Mangold competed with


2 >> WEIGHTLIFTING.TEAMUSA.ORG


an injured wrist,” Roselli reminds us, and her accomplishment was nothing short of pain- ful and well-earned. Both women placed in the top ten. In the Men’s 85 kg division, Farris turned


up the heat with his highest ever clean and jerk attempt in competition. He almost broke his lifetime record of a 203 kg clean and jerk with an attempted 208 kg. How- ever, Farris still finished strong with his 155 kg snatch and 200 kg clean and jerk, earning him 10th


place out with a total of 355 kg. Olympic veterans, Robles and Mangold


plan to continue their weightlifting endeav- ors. “They are the core of the women’s pro- gram. We’re hoping that with them and our other emerging young women competitors that we will have good prospects for the next Games,” Roselli commented. “We’re looking for greater results over the next four years.” As London was Farris’s second Olympic


Games experience, he is now weighing his options to continue in the gym or to be home with his family. Although he may be in his prime and athletically capable, this is completely understandable, Roselli


said.


“But perhaps he will continue, and help us as we head toward 2016.”


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