Colorado Springs, Co.
From March 2nd - March 4th the strongest athletes in the country will be competing to be named the 2012 National Weightlifting Champion. For the first time since 2008, USA Weightlifting’s National Championships will be held in conjunction with the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio. In the halls of the Greater Columbus Convention Center eight male weight classes and seven female weight classes will be contested for the top prize and the right to claim the title of “Strongest Athlete in America” in their bodyweight.
The men’s competition is stacked with returning National Champions. 56kg champion Michael Graber (Jersey City, N.J.), 69 kg champion Caleb Williams (Atlanta, Ga.), 77kg champion and ’04 and ‘08Olympian Chad Vaughn (Florence, Texas), 2008 Olympic teammate and 85kg champion Kendrick Farris (Shreveport, La.), 94 kg champion Jonathan North (San Ramon, Calif.), 105kg champion Donald Shankle (San Ramon, Calif.) and 105+kg champion Patrick Mendes (Las Vegas, Nev.) are all back to defend their
crowns.
The 62kg class is the only one without a returning champion but there is still a battle brewing. Sean Hutchinson (Hollister, Fla. / Shreveport, La.) is the leader in the club house, but 18 year old Darrel Barnes (Florissant, Mo.) comes in only 2 kilograms behind Hutchinson’s highest total. Darrel will no doubt push Hutchinson to his limits, but Hutchinson will unquestionably be pushing right back.
Challenging North’s supremacy in the 94kg class will be a trio of young talent who are looking to use the National Championship stage to make their presence known to the weightlifting community. Twenty year old Jared Fleming (Pine City, N.Y.), 23 year old Coard Wilkes (Chesapeake, Va.) and 18 year old Ian Wilson (Berkeley, Calif.) are considered part of the future of USA Weightlifting, but with three out of the four highest qualifying totals in the class, their time may come sooner than later.
Heading into the National Championships one of the closest battles seems to be looming in the 69kg category. While Williams comes in as the defending 
champion and has the highest qualifying total in the class, Derrick Johnson’s (Florissant, Mo.) qualifying total was only 1kg behind Williams’. The fight for the gold in this class may very well come down to the last lift and has the possibility of being a showdown the weightlifting community will be talking about for years. Both have taken attempts at the American record in the past and this competition may push them both past those numbers. However, there is only room for one name in the record books.
The Women’s Nationals will begin on Saturday and continue through early Sunday, just before the Women’s Olympic Team Trials begin on Sunday afternoon. The Women’s National Championships being held just prior to, but in conjunction with, the Women’s Olympic Team Trials, all of the competitors competing in the National Championships have a chance to score totals that could surpass any of the performances made at the Olympic Team Trials and be nominated to the Olympic Team instead. So performances at that event will need to be watched closely as well.
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