American lifter Hampton Morris turned in a landmark performance at the 2026 IWF World Weightlifting Championships, which are taking place from October 27 to November 8 in Ningbo, China. Competing in the men’s under-65 kg weight class, the 22-year-old athlete earned a bronze medal and, in doing so, swept all three American Records in the Snatch, Clean & Jerk, and Total.
Hampton Morris’ Full Performance
Hampton Morris came into the 2026 IWF World Weightlifting Championships with a bodyweight of 64.6 kilograms (142.4 pounds), which was just under the threshold for his division. He put together an outstanding 5-for-6 performance on the day, with his failed lift being the controversial talking point of the competition.
Snatch
Hampton Morris opened his Snatch segment with a confident 132-kilogram (291-pound) lift to get on the scoreboard. He doubled down on his momentum with a huge 5-kilogram (11-pound) jump to 137 kilograms (302 pounds) on his second attempt. As expected, he completed the lift with ease and shifted his focus to the final lift.
With nothing to lose, Hampton Morris loaded 143 kilograms (315.3 pounds) for his third Snatch, which marked his career-best score in the event and a new U65KG American Snatch Record. As for the competition, it earned him a fifth place in the event, keeping him in the hunt for a podium finish by the end of the day.
- 132 kilograms (291 pounds)
- 137 kilograms (302 pounds)
- 143 kilograms (315.3 pounds) — U65KG American Record
*Hampton Morris held the previous U65KG Snatch American Record of 138-kg (304.2-lb), which he set at the 2026 Pan American Championships.
Clean & Jerk
The real action took place during the Clean & Jerk event, where Hampton Morris kicked things off with a 180-kilogram (396.8-pound) lift. He then moved on to his 185-kilogram (407.9-pound) second attempt, which marked a new American Record and briefly stood as the World Record as well.
Pak Myong Jin ended up Clean & Jerking 187 kilograms (412.3 pounds) to claim the World Record, leaving Hampton Morris with a massive task ahead of him. Morris ended up locking out 189 kilograms (416.7 pounds) to reclaim the World Record, but his joy was short-lived as the jury overturned his lift and deemed it invalid.
- 180 kilograms (396.8 pounds)
- 185 kilograms (407.9 pounds) — U65KG American Record
- Unsuccessful — 189 kilograms (416.7 pounds)
*Hampton Morris held the previous U65KG Clean & Jerk American Record of 181-kg (399-lb), which he set at the 2025 Pan American Championships.
Total — 328 kilograms (723.1 pounds) — U65KG American Record
*Hampton Morris held the previous U65KG Total American Record of 318-kg (701.1-lb), which he set at the 2025 Pan American Championships.
2026 IWF World Weightlifting Championships: U65KG Rankings
- Pak Myong Jin (PRK): 331-kg (729.7-lb)
- Muhammed Furkan Özbek (TUR): 330-kg (727.5-lb)
- Hampton Miller Morris (USA): 328-kg (723.1-lb)
Related: Hampton Morris (61KG) Sets Three American Records at 2024 European Weightlifting Championships
Prior to his record-setting performance in Ningbo, Morris made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning bronze in the men’s 61-kg category, becoming the first American male weightlifter to earn an Olympic medal since 1984. He is now also a 15-time world medalist, who has stood on the podium every year dating back to 2021.
