Nearly 30 Personal Records, 60 Medals Highlight Youth Pan-American Championships
GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador - Team USA had a strong showing in Guayaquil, Ecuador last week at the Pan-American U15 and U17 Youth Championships. Twenty-eight athletes from the United States combined for 60 medals and almost 30 personal records through four days of competition, with the U15 and U17 girls teams both finishing second overall and the U15 boys finishing third overall. Additionally, Diego Yoo set a Pan-American U15 49 kg clean and jerk record with his 101 kg lift.
Youth Pan-American Full results:
On the first day of competition, five athletes combined for 23 medals and each one set a personal record with their total. Three swept their age brackets and also added medals in the U17 bracket. Diego Yoo swept 49 kg U15 gold and U17 silver after hitting all six lifts for 75/101/176 and adding nine kilograms to his PR. Jaedyn Orton swept gold in the 45 kg U15 category and earned bronze in the snatch and silver in both the clean & jerk and total for the U17 category. She went 6-for-6 and lifted 59/73/132, a three kilogram PR. Amelia Phillips (49 kg) was the third American to sweep gold in her U15 category, adding on silvers in the U17 clean & jerk and total after lifting 62/82/144 for a seven kilogram PR. Michael Ziss and Piper Jones added three silver and three bronze medals, respectively.
Day two saw eight medals added to Team USA’s tally. Emma Heck finished second overall in the U17 59 kg category with a two kilo PR in her total. She went 5-for-6 and lifted 76/98/174 for bronze in the snatch and silvers in the clean & jerk and total. Brynn Catalano lifted 67/85/152 at 59 kg to earn bronze in the U15 snatch, silver in the clean & jerk, and bronze in the total and bronze in the U17 silver. Henry Ludbrook added a bronze in the U17 67 kg snatch.
Day three featured Team USA’s top-ranked youth male, Ryan McDonald, sweep gold at U17 73 kg by lifting 130/154/284. Adelyn Jones swept U15 gold and U17 silver and had a four kilo total personal record at 64 kg for lifting 75/94/169, and Robert Whitlock lifted 107/130/237 to earn snatch gold, C&J silver, and total gold in the U15 81 kg category.
Team USA wrapped up the championships with Emory McFann earning U15 gold in the snatch, bronze in the C&J and bronze in the total at +102, and Kaia Jacobs sweeping silver at +81.
Final team results
U15 Girls: 2nd Place
- 8 G, 6 S, 7 B
U17 Girls: 2nd Place
- 6 S, 11 B
U15 Boys: 3rd place
- 6 G, 1 S, 2 B
U17 Boys: 4th place
- 3 G, 8 S, 2 B
Medal Tally
60 total medals
Gold - 18
Silver - 22
Bronze - 20
Day 1:
23 Medals
Delilah YOO - 45
5/6. 114 Total (3kg PR). 5th in U15.
Jaedyn Orton - 45
6/6. 132 Total (3kg PR). All Gold in U15. Bronze in Snatch, Silver in C&J and Total in U17.
Piper Jones - 49
5/6. 122 Total (4kg PR). All Bronze in U15.
Amelia Phillips - 49
5/6. 144 Total (7kg PR). All Gold in U15. Silver in C&J and Total in U17.
Weston McGrath - 49
6/6. 126 Total (7kg PR). 5th in U15
Diego Yoo - 49
6/6. 176 Total (9kg PR). All Gold in U15. All Silver in U17.
Mikey Ziss - 55
4/6. 205 Total (5kg PR). All Silver in U17.
Day 2
Medal Tally to 31
Gold - 9
Silver - 13
Bronze - 9
Nicholas Luna - 61
5/6. 178 (8kg PR). 5th in U15
Desmond Myles - 61
6/6. 186 (10kg PR). 4th in U15
Brynn Catalano - 55
4/6. 152 3rd in U15 (Bronze, Silver, Bronze). 4th in U17 (Bronze in C&J)
Dryden Yates - 67
5/6. 196 (5kg PR). 4th in U15 across the board.
Jesse Castillo - 67
4/6. 190 (5kg PR). 5th in U15 across the board.
Henry Ludbrook - 67
4/6. 229 (9kg PR). 4th in U17 with Bronze in Snatch.
Gracie Rice - 59
4/6. 155 (1kg PR). 4th in U17
Emma Heck - 59
5/6. 174 (2kg PR). 2nd in U17 (Bronze Snatch, Silver C&J, Silver Total)
Day 3
Medal Tally to 54
Gold - 17
Silver - 19
Bronze - 18
Carter Sing - 73
4/6. 249 (+12kg PR). 5th in U17
Ryan McDonald
3/6. 284 (PR Match). 1st in U17 across the board
Autumn Sands- 64
5/6. 165 . 3rd in U17 across the board
Adelyn Jones - 64
5/6. 169 (+4kg PR). 1st in U15 across the board. 2nd in U17 across the board
Robert Whitlock - 81
5/6. 237 (+11kg PR). 1st in U15 (Gold, Silver, Gold)
Kale Bunch - 81
5/6. 260 (+4kg PR). 2nd in U17 (Silver, Bronze, Silver)
Chassity Del Balso - 71
5/6. (+1kg PR) 3rd in U15, (Bronze C&J, Bronze Total)
Ireland Manor - 71
5/6. 159 (PR Match). 4th in U15, (Bronze Snatch)
McKenzie Hatcher - 71
5/6. 175. (+3kg PR). 5th in U17
Brooke Buzzell - 71
6/6. 184. (+9kg PR). 3rd in U17 (Bronze C&J, Bronze Total)
Day 4
Medal Tally to 60
Gold - 18
Silver - 22
Bronze - 20
Emory McFann- +102
4/6. 225 (+9kg PR). 3rd in U15 (Gold, Bronze, Bronze)
Kinsley Rodden - +81
4/6. 171 (+1kg PR). 4th in U15
Kaia Jacobs - +81
6/6. 179 (+6kg PR). 2nd in U15 (Silver Sweep)
2024 Youth Pan-American Championships
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