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Countdown to Beijing '08 - Weightlifting
// USOC Media Services // October 18, 2006
Outlook
USA Weightlifting athletes will be looking to return to the Olympic podium at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. After winning two medals (gold and bronze) at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, U.S. weightlifters failed to bring home any medals from the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. The U.S. will have a strong leader and veteran who stood on the Olympic podium in 2000 to follow on the road to Beijing. Cheryl Haworth (Savannah, Ga./Colorado Springs, Colo.), a two-time U.S. Olympian (2000 and 2004) and 2000 Olympic bronze medalists, will lead a young and talented squad of U.S. weightlifters on the long road to China.
With the retirements following the 2004 Olympic Games of 2000 Olympic gold medalist and 2004 U.S. Olympic Team member Tara (Nott) Cunningham (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.) and 2000 and 2004 Olympian Shane Hamman (Mustang, Okla.), Haworth has become the most experienced and recognized athlete for USA Weightlifting. At the young age of 23, Haworth already has an Olympic bronze medal (2000 Olympic Games) to her credit and has represented the United States in two consecutive Olympic Games (2000 and 2004). She was only 17 years old when she won the bronze medal in the super-heavyweight division at the 2000 Olympic Games, the first time for women’s weightlifting to be contested on the Olympic stage.
At the 2004 Olympic Games, Haworth experienced sharp pain in her left elbow on the first lift of the snatch; the same elbow she had torn a ligament in and had surgery to repair in 2003. Rather than risk permanent damage, she skipped the next two attempts and focused her energies on the clean and jerk. Now with a fully healed elbow, Haworth looks to be back in top form. In June 2006, Haworth moved to Colorado Springs, Colo. to become a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. The move also means a new coach for Haworth, who left her coach in Savannah, Michael Cohen, to now hone her skills under Bob Morris, the head coach of the women’s weightlifting program at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
Haworth will be joined by returning Olympic teammate Chad Vaughn (Konawa, Okla./Norman, Okla.), who competed in his first Olympic Games in 2004, finishing ninth in Group B of the 77kg weight class. Vaughn, currently the second ranked U.S. weightlifter on the men’s side, has set his sights squarely on Beijing. Super-heavyweight Casey Burgener (Bonsall, Calif./Colorado Springs, Colo.) is the top-ranked male weightlifter in the U.S. and promises to be a force to be reckoned with when the 2008 Olympic Games roll around.
Two-time Olympian (2000 and 2004) Oscar Chaplin III (Savannah, Ga./Colorado Springs, Colo.) suffered a severe knee injury at the U.S. Team Trials in March 2006, leaving his competitive status in question. Chaplin placed 10th in the men’s 85kg division at the 2004 Olympic Games and 12th in the 77kg division at the 2000 Olympic Games.
2000 Olympian Cara Heads (Costa Mesa, Calif./Colorado Springs, Colo.) has also battled injuries, but is attempting to return to the Olympic stage in Beijing.
Other athletes to watch on the women’s side include Jackie Berube (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Carissa Gordon-Gump (Essex Junction, Vt./ Colorado Springs, Colo.), Melanie Roach (Bonney Lake, Wash.), Natalie Woolfolk (Arnold, Md./Colorado Springs, Colo.), Doreen Fullhart (Christiansburg, Va./Colorado Springs, Colo.), and Teresa Gaume (St. Joseph, Mo.). On the men’s side, keep an eye on Lance Frye (Moorestown, Va.), Robert Murphy (Sarasota, Fla./Colorado Springs, Colo.), Kendrick Farris (Shreveport, La.), Donald Shankle (Wichita Falls, Texas/Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Zach Krych (Colorado Springs, Colo.).
Storylines
Cheryl Haworth (Savannah, Ga./Colorado Springs, Colo.) – The most recognized member of the USA Weightlifting Team, Cheryl Haworth has changed coaches and in June 2006 moved to Colorado Springs, Colo. to become a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center under coach Bob Morris. Winning a bronze medal at the age of 17 in her first Olympic Games in 2000 in Sydney, Australia, Haworth is focused on returning to the medal stand at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The aspiring artist hopes to paint a picture in Beijing to match the color of the 1979 Lincoln Mark V that she purchased in July 2006 – Gold.
The Science of Weightlifting – United States Olympic Committee sports scientists conduct numerous tests and evaluations of U.S. weightlifters to help athletes perfect their technique resulting in better performances.
Team Selection Procedures
The number of athletes that the United States will qualify to enter into the 2008 Olympic Games will be determined by team placement at the 2006 and 2007 World Weightlifting Championships. A total of 260 athletes will compete in the sport of weightlifting at the 2008 Olympic Games. In accordance with the rules of the International Weightlifting Federation, a country can qualify to enter a maximum of six men and four women for the 2008 Olympic Games. Once it is determined how many qualification spots the U.S. has secured for the 2008 Olympic Games, USA Weightlifting will hold the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the spring of 2008 to determine which athletes will fill those slots.
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