THAILAND, — A young man from Marietta just lifted himself closer to a spot on the 2024 USA Olympic weightlifting team after breaking records in Thailand.
Hampton Morris, a 20-year-old coached by his father, broke the world record in the clean and jerk. According to reports from NBC Sports, he was in the 61kg weight class by lifting 176 kilograms (388 pounds) at a World Cup event in Thailand.
Aside from the world record, Morris also broke the American records in the snatch with a 127-kilogram lift and for his total weight lifted of 303 kilograms between the snatch and clean and jerk.
Take a look at the record lift:
On Tuesday, he finished second overall, moving from seventh to second in the global Olympic qualifying rankings behind Tokyo Olympic champion Li Fabin of China.
NBC Sports said Morris could become the youngest American weightlifter to compete at an Olympics since Cheryl Haworth at the 2000 Sydney Games.
"It would be the greatest achievement of my life so far," Hampton Morris said before the competition in Thailand. "An amazing reward for all the work that me and everyone around me has put in for almost a decade."
Watch our exlcusive interview with Morris:
For more on Morris and his father head here.