NINGBO, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- American weightlifter Hampton Morris said he was proud of his bronze medal at the IWF World Championships despite narrowly missing out on gold after failing his final clean-and-jerk attempt.
Morris, 22, lifted 143 kilograms in the snatch and 185kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 328kg, finishing third in the men's 65kg category behind DPR Korea's Pak Myong-jin, who set two world records with a 187kg clean and jerk and a 331kg total, and Türkiye's Muhammed Furkan Ozbek, who took silver with 330kg on Wednesday.
"I'm very, very proud of what I was able to accomplish today. I had some very, very tough competitors," Morris told Xinhua.
There were nevertheless positives for the American, whose 143kg snatch was a personal best, improving on the 142kg he lifted at a domestic competition six weeks earlier.
However, Morris welcomed the challenge posed by his Asian rivals, who had swept the podium at last month's Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.
"Not nervous, but more excited. It's a really incredible opportunity to be able to compete here," he said. "I'm grateful that they're able to push me as much as they have."
The American's respect for his competitors was evident throughout the competition. During his interview with Xinhua, Morris briefly excused himself to greet Chinese lifters Ding Hongjie and He Yueji, shaking hands with both before returning to answer questions.
Competing in China for the first time, Morris has also embraced his experience away from the platform. He shared his amusement at encountering a food-delivery robot at his hotel in Ningbo in a post on Instagram.
"It's amazing. I've really, really enjoyed being here," he said.
Morris is already a familiar figure among Chinese weightlifting fans, having attracted attention for his cheerful demeanor at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he won bronze in the men's 61kg category.
His clean-and-jerk lift of 172kg set an Olympic record and helped him become the first American man to win an Olympic weightlifting medal since 1984.
The lifter from Marietta, Georgia, had previously won clean-and-jerk gold at the 2023 world championships in Riyadh, becoming the first American man to claim a world weightlifting title since 1984.
With a 190kg clean and jerk already achieved in training, Morris believes he has the strength to challenge for further records and titles, with the Los Angeles Games his next major target. ■
