National Championships & USA Olympic Team Trials Report

Event director Debbie Millet and USA Weightlifting pulled out all the stops to produce a spectacular National Championships and USA Olympic Team Trials, providing a truly memorable experience for the athletes and attendees.

And the lifting was equally outstanding. Literally dozens of American records were set over the three days of competition including during an amazing Olympic Trials event.

In the women's Olympic Team Trials, Morghan King and Sarah Robles joined Jenny Arthur to fill the three slots allotted to the women’s team for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

Following a remarkable gold medal winning performance at the Pan Am Junior Championships in El Salvador, CHFP athlete Jessie Bradley provided a solid encore at the Olympic Team Trials and National Championships. Lifting in the Olympic Team Trials in front of a home town crowd at the Salt Palace Convention, Jessie overcame a missed opener in the snatch with 94 kg to succeed on her second attempt, and nailed a clutch third attempt at 97 kg.

CHFP athlete Jessie Bradley earned a bronze medal in the snatch.

In the clean and jerk, Jessie made easy work of 113 kg, followed by two misses at 117 kg. Jessie secured a bronze medal in the snatch and her 210 kg total had her just off the podium with a fourth place finish. Next up for Jessie: IWF Junior World Championships on July 1, in Tbilisi, Georgia.

2x Olympian Kendrick Farris set an American record of 377 kg in the total.

Coach Cara Heads Slaughter had an opportunity to partner with Danny Schlag to help 2x Olympian Kendrick Farris (coached by Dr. Kyle Pierce). Simply put, Kendrick showed out in the 94 kg weight class with personal bests in the snatch (168 kg) and in the clean and jerk (209 kg) to set an American record with a 377 kg total. Kendrick was the top qualifier among eight weightlifters who advanced to the Pan American Championships in June in Colombia to secure slot for the Men’s Olympic team. The other qualifiers are Norik Vardanian, Alex Lee, Caine Wilkes, James Tatum, Wesley Kitts, Travis Cooper and Donovan Ford.

Cara interviewed by Olympian Carissa Gordon Gump as part of the NBC Sports Live Extra coverage.

The weekend also included three inductions into the USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame - two-time Olympian and six-time National Champion Oscar Chaplin III, USA Weightlifting’s Director of Operations Laurie Lopez, and four-time National Champion and six-time World Championships team member Diana Fuhrman.