The weightlifting glory has slowly been returning to the US over the past couple of years, and it is only set to become even more prominent with the new talented generations that are coming up. One of the best examples of that is Ella Nicholson, an 18-year-old weightlifter who is destined for greatness. She recently appeared at the 2024 World Junior Weightlifting Championships. There she managed to set multiple Junior records, alongside the 113-kilogram (249-pound) Snatch American Senior Record.
Ella Nicholson’s Full Performance
Ella Nicholson turned 18-years-old just a couple of months ago, but is already putting up lifts that are exceeding athletes much older than her. In this case, she successfully performed five out of six attempts, only missing one on the Clean & Jerk. Even with that in the way, Ella managed to crush her rivals, beating the second-best woman by 12 kilograms (26.5 pounds) overall.
Snatch
Ella Nicholson’s snatch performance started with an incredibly easy 105-kilogram (231.5-pound) lift. So, it was clear that something huge was brewing for the remaining attempts. In turn, Ella Nicholson loaded 108 kilograms (238 pounds) for her second attempt. It moved equally as fast, giving Ella confidence going into her final lift of the event.
The time came for her to come out onto the platform once again, and she chose to jump up to 113 kilograms (249.1 pounds). It was yet another successful lift; Ella Nicholson managed to set new U76KG Senior and Junior American Records.
- 105 kilograms (231.5 pounds)
- 108 kilograms (238 pounds)
- 113 kilograms (249.1 pounds) — U76KG Senior & Junior American Records
*Mattie Rogers held the previous U76KG Senior American Record of 112-kg (246.9-lb), which she set at the 2022 USA Weightlifting National Championships.
Clean & Jerk
Moving onto the clean and jerk, Ella Nicholson knew that she was on route to secure an epic performance. Moreover, she opened up with a 125-kilogram (275.6-pound) lift, which was already beyond impressive.
Ella Nicholson was then unfortunately stopped by a barbell loaded with 131 kilograms (288.8 pounds) on her second attempt. However, she was decisive in correcting it on her final attempt. She was successful in her intention, successfully completing 131 kilograms (288.8 pounds) for another U76KG Junior American Record.
- 125 kilograms (275.6 pounds)
- Unsuccessful — 131 kilograms (288.8 pounds)
- 131 kilograms (288.8 pounds)
Total — 244 kilograms (537.9 pounds) — U76KG Junior American Record
*Kate Vibert held the previous U76KG Junior American Record Total of 243-kg (535.7-lb), which she set at the 2019 Pan American Games.
Ella Nicholson was initially a CrossFit athlete throughout her younger years but decided to switch to weightlifting a couple of years ago. It proved to be the right choice since she has racked up tons of success already. She has won the 2023 World Youth Weightlifting Championships, 2024 World Junior Championships, and the 2024 Pan-American Junior Championships. Moreover, she now has a couple of Junior and Senior National Records to her name as well.
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