National Junior Championships Highlights & Results

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Darren Barnes (St. Louis, Mo. / Lift for Life) set the first American Records of the event as he broke his own school age (17 and under) record of 90kg in the snatch with a lift of 94kg on his third attempt.  Barnes' total of 211kg broke the previous record by more than eight kilograms.  Not only did the 2009 Youth World Team member break the record, but his total eclipsed that of silver medalist Dominque Brunson (Savannah, Ga. / Team Savannah) by 43kg. 

Competing in the 62kg division, Barnes' brother Darrel Barnes (St. Louis, Mo. / Lift for Life) was tied after the snatch with Brunson's brother, Mack Brunson (Savannah, Ga. / Unattached), when both athletes lifted 100kg.  Brunson won the gold when he finished the snatch portion with three clean lifts, including a final lift of 132kg.  Barnes began with a lift of 120kg, but failed to complete his next two attempts at 130kg and placed second.  

James Washington (Beaufort, S.C. / Team Savannah) won the day's largest division - 69kg - where he defeated 19 other lifters to win the gold medal with a total of 243kg.  

Kaysie Junco (Port Orange, Fla. / Team Florida - Volusia) earned the first gold medal of the day in the women's divisions and the first title for Junco who placed second at this event in 2009.  Junco's total of 123kg edged out Jenny Lam (San Francisco, Calif. / Hassle Free) by four kilograms to earn the title. 

Sara Cowles (Marquette, Mich. / Team Florida - Volusia), a 2009 Junior World Team member, came one step closer to qualifying for another team when she won her second consecutive National Junior title in the 53kg division with lifts of 66kg and 83kg in the snatch and the clean & jerk. 

Donovan Ford (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Hassle Free) successfully defended his 2009 National Junior title with a total lift of 320kg in the 105kg division.  Ford's results were within five kilograms of the marks he posted to place sixth at the 2009 Junior World Championships. 

Brianna Barnett (Kidder, Mo. / Wesley Weightlifting) competed at the first-ever Youth World Championships in 2009 where she placed eighth in the 69kg division.  Barnett showed that she continues to improve with a total of 179kg - a lift that would have placed her in the top four at last year's Youth World event.  

Breanne Bassler (Seabrook, Texas / Unattached), a 2009 Junior World Team member, dominated the 58kg division with total lifts of 169kg - 41kg more than her closest opponent, silver medalist Inanna Serena Felicty (San Francisco, Calif. / Hassle Free).

A 2009 Youth World Team member, Jessica Beed (Norman, Okla. / Unattached) lifted a total of 167kg to win the 63kg division.  Although this is the first National Junior title for Beed in weightlifting, the 16-year-old also is the reigning Junior National Champion in judo in the same division. 

Peter Musa (East Stroudsburg, Pa. / Metro Elite) and Chris Gute (Costa Mesa, Calif. / Team Southern California) battled back and forth in the 77kg division with Musa leading Gute by a kilogram after the snatch where he lifted 119kg.  In the clean and jerk, both athletes lifted their opening attempts at 145kg, but dropped the next two and Musa won the gold medal by a one kilogram margin. 

Competing in the largest women's division of the event with 13 lifters, Chioma Amaechi (San Francisco, Calif. / Hassle Free) won her first National Junior title in the +75kg division.  Karen Wyatt (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Unattached) led the division after the snatch with a lift of 91kg, but Amaechi made up the gap when she completed her final clean and jerk attempt of 122kg to edge Wyatt by a total of 207kg to 206kg. 

In the 85kg division, Kyle Hannah (Port Orange, Fla. / Team Florida - Volusia County) and Kyle Ziegler (U.S. Air Force Academy, Calif. / Unattached) both had totals of 256kg, but Hannah was awarded the gold medal as he weighed in at .69kg less than Ziegler. 

Jared Fleming (Pine City, N.Y. / East Coast Gold) won the 94kg division with a total of 312kg, edging out second-place finisher Robert Adell (Average Broz) by seven kilograms.

Heavyweight Spencer Moorman (Port Angeles, Wash. / Calpian's) dominated the +105kg division where he lifted a total of 318kg - 50kg more than his nearest opponent,  Robert Hamill (Englewood, Fla. / Team Florida AFP).

Ashley Rivera (Orlando, Fla. / Team Florida - Orlando) won her first National Junior Championship in the 75kg division with a total of 145kg. 

Tags: Cortney Batchelor, Darrel Barnes , Darren Barnes, Dominnique Brunson, George Ashworth, James Washington, Jenny Lam, Jordan Freeman, Kaysie Junco, Mack Brunson, Max Alpert, Michael Mattis, Paul HInston, Ryan Borges, Sara Cowles, Tim Aney, Tom Summa, Tri Phu