Doha Grand Prix Recap: Morris, Reeves, Vibert, Theisen-Lappen Shine, Climb Olympic Qualifying Rankings
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DOHA, Qatar - USA Weightlifting had a competition to remember in Doha, Qatar. Through 10 days of competition, Hampton Morris (61 kg) set American senior and junior records in the clean & jerk and total, Olivia Reeves and Kate Vibert battled in a 71 kg session that ended with Vibert setting a five kg total personal record and Reeves shattering seven world records, and Mary Theisen-Lappen leapt into fifth on the +81kg Olympic Qualifying Rankings after lifting a personal snatch record and tying her clean & jerk American record.
Just two Olympic qualifying competitions remain: The continental championships (European Championships (Feb. 12-20) for Team USA), and the IWF World Cup (March 31-April 11).
Paris Olympic Qualifying Rankings
Olympic Qualifying Rankings top-10:
Men
61 kg: Hampton Morris, 10th, 292 kg
Women
49 kg: Jourdan Delacruz, 4th, 200 kg
59 kg: Taylor Wilkins, 10th, 221 kg
71 kg: Olivia Reeves, 2nd, 262 kg
81 kg: Mattie Rogers, ninth, 252 kg
+81 kg: Mary Theisen-Lappen, fifth, 283 kg
Morris Continues Growth & Dominance
Hampton Morris continues to be a force at 61 kg. The 19 year old from Marietta, Georgia, snatched 122 kg and clean & jerked 170 kg for a 292 total. Both his clean & jerk and total marks are American records at both the junior and senior level, and Morris now sits firmly at 10th in the OQR too, one kilogram ahead of Cuba’s Arley Calderon Licourt and equal with Vietnam’s Van Vinh Trinh. Morris collected clean & jerk bronze for his performance and finished fifth overall in the 61 kg standings. He now has 18 American records to his name across youth, junior and senior levels.
A Battle at 71
The women’s 71 kg session was a gun show start to finish. Reeves came into Doha with a 253 kg total and ranked fourth in the OQR, with Vibert right behind her with a 249. Reeves snatched 106 kg, 113 kg, and 115 kg, breaking the American junior and senior snatch records (112 kg) on each lift and the junior world records with her second and third lifts. She repeated these same feats in the clean & jerk, lifting 140/144/147 for a perfect six-for-six day on the platform. Her total jumped from 255 kg, to 259 kg and ultimately 262 kg, and each of those were also junior world records for a total of seven junior world records broken by the Chattanooga, Tennessee, native. Reeves ultimately swept bronze medals across all three categories.
Vibert had a strong day herself and was on Reeves’ heels throughout the competition. She opened with the heaviest snatch of her career - 109 kg. She then went 112 kg on her second lift to tie her personal best but failed her 115 kg attempt. In the clean & jerk, Vibert opened at 137 kg, just one kilo shy of her personal record. She snapped that record on her second attempt when she lifted 142 kg, a mark that would’ve tied the prior American senior clean & jerk record Reeves set weeks ago at the IWF World Championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Vibert then opted not to go for her final C&J attempt of 148 kg C&J and thus ended the day with a 254 kg total that bested her personal record by five kilos. She earned fourth across the board. Vibert is fifth on the OQR long list.
Bulgaria’s Nasar and USA’s Reeves in sensational form on record-breaking day for juniors
Theisen-Lappen Jumps Robles
The women’s +87 kg session was emotional for Sarah Robles and Mary Theisen-Lappen. Robles led out of the snatch, lifting 120 and 124 kg which put her 3 kg ahead of the field, while Theisen-Lappen lifted 117 kg and 120 kg for third through the first lift, a 1 kg lifetime improvement.
Heading into the clean & jerk, Robles failed her 150 kg opener and opted to withdraw from the competition from there. Theisen-Lappen opened with a 156 kg and followed with a jump to 163 kg to tie the American C&J record she set in March 2022. She attempted 168 kg next but failed to earn a career best total of 283 kg, five kilograms ahead of her previous best. Theisen-Lappen ended the day with a bronze in the snatch, gold in the clean and jerk, and gold in the total. She asked Robles to join her on the podium during the national anthem where the two embraced. Theisen-Lappen's 283 kg total moved her over Robles on the OQR and into fifth place.
Other notables from Team USA’s competition in Qatar included:
Jourdan Delacruz opted to withdraw from the 49 kg session after the snatch portion. Delacruz topped out at 86 kg but didn’t retire due to injury. She remains fourth on the 49 kg OQR.
Alexia Gonzalez made her international debut and celebrated a bronze sweep at 76 kg after lifting 93/114/207.
Caine Wilkes finished sixth at +109 kg to round out Team USA’s top-six finishers, lifting 174/213/387.
