2024 IWF European Championships: Morris Hampton Set a Record in the Snatch in the Men’s 61 kg Category

One of the most surprising things about the 2024 European Championships is Team USA’s participation.

The Americans asked the Weightlifting Federation to allow their athletes to compete in Sofia instead of the Pan American Championships due to concerns over safety, considering they will be held in Caracas, Venezuela. 

As we all know, competing on the European stage means that the Americans actually can’t win any medals, regardless of how they perform against the competition. That rule was unfortunate for Morris Hampton, as the US lifter started off the competition very well, lifting 126 kg on his third Snatch attempt, which was enough to place him third overall for the movement.

Unfortunately, he can’t win any accolade for his performance and he won’t even be placed in the rankings because of the mentioned rule. Fortunately or not, his Clean & Jerk wasn’t up to par, and he would have finished below the top 10 in the overall rankings either way. 

Morris Hampton has won the Pan American Championships three times in a row in the 61 kg category. He also won the Junior and Youth World Championships in 2021 and 2022, so he is posed for future success. 

If you want to continue following the European Championships, make sure to stay up-to-date with our blog until the 20th of February, when the competition in Sofia will end. And for more exciting content, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and check out our Instagram page.