The 2016 USAW American Open Series will take a look at two weight categories every weekday through Wednesday, December 7, the day before the start of the American Open.
Take a look at the previews already posted:
Women’s 48 | 53 | 58 | 63 | 69 | 75 | 90 | +90
Men’s 56 | 62 | 69 | 77 | 85 | 94 | 105 | +105
Over the past year Wesley Kitts has exploded onto the USA Weightlifting scene. At the 2015 National Championships, Kitts took 4th behind Donovan Ford, Spencer Moorman and Ethan Harak. Since then, Kitts has won the 2015 American Open and the 2016 National Championships with his total going from 355kg to 370kg.
Last year’s medalists were:
| Place | Snatch | Clean & Jerk | Total |
| 1 | D’Angelo Osorio (163) | Ethan Harak (204) | Wesley Kitts (360) |
| 2 | Wesley Kitts (160) | Wesley Kitts (200) | Ethan Harak (360) |
| 3 | Andrew Davis (156) | D’Angelo Osorio (196) | D’Angelo Osorio (359) |
Here’s who to look out for this year…
Wesley Kitts
Wesley Kitts is a force to be reckoned with. After winning the last two U.S. national events, Kitts is poised to win his third consecutive and defend his 2015 American Open title. Kitts has a 15kg advantage in the entry total over Asniel Jimenez. Kitts was just shown snatching 174kg on Instagram. If Kitts can repeat it on the American Open platform, he will walk away with the win and a new American Record snatch.
Asniel Jimenez
Asniel Jimenez is from Cuba, and like Yadier Nunez (77kg) he has been training out of 210 Weightlifting Club. Jimenez has not competed on the international stage since 2015 Pan American Championships where he finished with a 364kg total. He will need to get close to 370kg if he wants to have a shot at bypassing Kitts.
Joshua Ji
Joshua Ji competed on the Junior World Team in June and finished with a 338kg total. Ji has a 345kg entry total. He will need to hit that or better to fend off Andrew Davis and David Garcia for the bronze medal.
