News Parent Topic: Strength Exercise Sport: Weightlifting Weightlifting

American Weightlifter Mary Theisen-Lappen Wins Gold Medal at 2023 IWF Grand Prix II

Presser December 14, 2023

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Team USA is walking away from the International Weightlifting Federation’s (IWF) 2023 Grand Prix II with more than a handful of medals. American athletes competed at the Prix from Dec. 4 to 14 in Doha, Qatar.

On the final day of competition, Women’s +87-kilogram athlete Mary Theisen-Lappen posted the best individual result for the U.S. when she won the overall gold medal in her category.

Other Team USA medalists from this competition include Hampton Morris, Olivia Reeves, Alexia Gonzalez, and Sarah Robles. Theisen-Lappen went four-for-six on the day. Here’s a breakdown of her performance:

Mary Theisen-Lappen | 2023 IWF Grand Prix II

Snatch: 117, 120, 123x | 3rd
Clean & Jerk: 156, 163, 166x | 1st
Total: 283 | 1st

Hot Streak

Theisen-Lappen is rapidly becoming one of America’s safest bets on the international stage. Since her IWF debut in 2020, she has made her way to the overall podium in every single international competition she’s attended:

2020 Rogue Weightlifting Challenge: 2nd
2021 Pan-American Championships: 1st
2023 Pan-American Championships: 1st
2023 Grand Prix I: 1st
2023 World Weightlifting Championships: 2nd
2023 Grand Prix II: 1st

Her 283-kilogram Total also advanced Theisen-Lappen up to fourth position on the IWF qualification leaderboards, the primary metric by which athletes receive a bid to the 2024 Olympic Games.

Countries may only send one weightlifter per Olympic bodyweight category to perform in Paris, and three athletes of each sex in total. Theisen-Lappen’s 283-kilogram Total makes a strong case for her selection against teammate and two-time Olympic bronze medalist Sarah Robles. Robles currently sits in a three-way tie for fifth place on the leaderboard with a best Total of 276 kilograms.