11 Medals, 8 Personal Records Highlight Jr Pan Am Championships
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HAVANA, Cuba - Twelve Team USA weightlifters traveled to Havana, Cuba, last week to compete in the Junior Pan American Championships and the team brought back 11 medals and recorded eight personal records. 2024 Junior World Champion Ella Nicholson swept gold at 77 kg and outpaced the competition by 22 kilos, while Jade Morales earned 53 kg clean & jerk and total gold. Jaycee Mann, also a 53 kg lifter, earned snatch silver and clean & jerk and total bronze in her international debut. Ryan McDonald collected clean & jerk and total silver medal at 88 kg, and Kailey Papas rounded out the medalists with a clean & jerk gold medal at 63 kg.
Recordings of the competition are available here via the Pan American Federation’s YouTube page. The full competition results book is available here.
With Nicholson’s sweep, she has extended her medal streak to five international competitions. The 18 year old is a continuous force to be reckoned with. Not only has she medaled in all five comps, but she has only ever finished on the podium, earning three medals at each of her international comps.
This competition marked McDonald’s first time earning a Junior Pan American Championship medal. In 2024 he finished fourth across the board at 73 kg. For Morales, this was her first international junior competition and thus first international junior medals. She previously represented the United States at the 2022, 2023 and 2024 IWF Youth World Championships. Papas’ clean & jerk gold is the second international medal of her career following a bronze snatch medal at the 2024 edition of the Jr. PAC.
Personal records were recorded by Logan Lockwood, Jaedyn Orton, Montgomery, Morales, and Papas. Orton, Morales and Lockwood all improved their C&J and total bests, while Mongtomery improved her snatch best and Papas bumped her C&J number.
In addition to Mann, Grace Montgomery also made her international debut. Montgomery finished ninth overall at 77 kg after lifting 92/110/202.
The next competition for Team USA is the combined IWF Youth and Junior World Championships in Lima, Peru (April 30-May 6).
Team USA Results:
Name, weight category, top snatch/top clean & jerk/total, places
Nicole Caamano, 69kg, 96/112/208, SN 4th/CJ 6th/ total 5th
Kaylee Landa, 86 kg, 89/110/199, SN 6th/CJ 7th/total 6th
Logan Lockwood, 71 kg, 118/150/268, SN 7th/CJ 5th/ total 4th
Jaycee Mann, 53kg, 77/93/170, SN silver/CJ bronze/total bronze
Kyle Martin Jr., 88 kg, –/165/–, DNP SN/CJ 7th/DNP total
Ryan McDonald, 88 kg, 141/180/321, SN 6th/ CJ silver/ total silver
Grace Montgomery, 77 kg, 92/110/202, SN 7th/CJ 9th/ total 9th
Jade Morales, 53 kg, 76/102/178, 4th SN/CJ gold/ total gold
Ella Nicholson, 77 kg, 110/130/240, SN gold/CJ gold/ total gold
Jaedyn Orton, 48 kg, 58/75/133, extra lifter - did not place
Kailey Papas, 63 kg, –/117/–, DNP SN/gold CJ/ DNP total
Anna Rucker, 63 kg, 84/107/191, SN 4th/CJ 5th/ total 4th
