Local duo 4th, 5th in junior nationals

By Jordan Conn, Staff Writer

Both local entrants were disappointed in their performances in the National Junior Weightlifting Championships on Saturday. But as 16-year-olds finishing in the middle of the pack at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, they will have plenty of chances to return to the national stage.

Jordan Nason snatched 106 kilograms and lifted 136 kg in the clean and jerk, earning fifth place in the 77-kg weight class. Josh DeYoung finished fourth in the 85-kg class on the strength of his 108-kg snatch and 133-kg clean and jerk. DeYoung successfully completed five of his six attempts, and Nason went 4-for-6.

USA Weightlifting international coach Steve Fauer, who coaches both lifters at Tennessee Speed and Strength in Chattanooga, said both performed to expectations.

But neither lifter was pleased.

“You know, I really wanted to do better than I did,” said Nason, a junior at Boyd-Buchanan School. “I was hoping to make a higher weight on both lifts and finish a little bit better.”

Nason’s 242-kg total put him 21 kilograms behind the first-place finisher, Jared Fleming. If Nason had made his final snatch attempt at 111 kg, he would have finished fourth. Travis Cooper of Georgia won DeYoung’s 85-kg class.

Despite a disappointing performance, Nason was happy to have competed in the most prestigious national junior meet.

“It’s been a good experience overall,” Nason said. “Just being in here and seeing how some of these guys who are older and stronger do what they do helps me to learn and hopefully come back stronger.”

USAW happy with city

USA Weightlifting executive director Dennis Snethen said he has been pleased the host city’s hospitality during the event. He said Chattanooga’s allure, combined with Fauer’s work with USA Weightlifting, made it a good choice as host.

“One of the reasons we’re excited to be here is because of Steve Fauer,” Snethen said. “Steve has brought a history of producing athletes. People like to reward those local grassroots guys.”

Snethen said USAW’s board of directors has an annual meeting where they select among several bidding cities for each major event. He was pleased with the board’s decision.

“The area is great,” Snethen said. “To have beautiful weather for an event is great. It’s the history, it’s the city, it’s the weather and it’s rewarding a guy like Steve.”

Two records set

A boys’ national junior record and a girls’ national school-age record were both broken Friday.

Aaron Adams, a 62-kg lifter from New Jersey, broke the junior record for clean and jerk with a 145-kg lift on his second attempt. For his third try, he broke it again — with a 150-kg hoist.

“Aaron’s a star,” Snethen said. “He’s a real talent. Even as a junior, he has a shot to compete for our Olympic team.”

Michelle Glasgow also had a double record-setting performance, breaking and rebreaking the national school-age record for the snatch in the 58-kg girls’ weight class. Glasgow lifted 71 kg in her second attempt and bettered that with a 74-kg lift on her third.

By Jordan Conn at jconn@timesfreepress.com