Have Fun And Make Lifts: The Simple Strategy Pushing Hampton Morris To The Top Of The Weightlifting World
Morris is aiming to become the first U.S. man to win an Olympic medal in the sport since 1984.
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Athlete Bio#
Age
Died (Aged 63)
1921-1984
Hometown
Brooklyn, NY
Quick Facts
- Started in bodyweight training rather than weightlifting as a boy
- Began training with weights after meeting weightlifter Steve Walsky, who invited Davis to train in his home gym
- Began representing the York Barbell Club
- Spent nearly four years in the Armed Forces
- Became a world champion at 17 in the light heavyweight category, making him the youngest contestant ever to win a world weightlifting championship at that time
- The only man to win world or Olympic championships in weightlifting across three decades (the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s).
Olympic Experience
- 2-time Olympian; 2-time Olympic medalist (2 gold)
- Olympic Games Helsinki 1952, gold (+90kg - Men)
- Olympic Games London 1948, gold (+82.5kg - Men)
World Championships Experience
- Most recent: 1953 – silver (+90kg - Men)
- Years of participation: +90kg - Men 1953; +105kg - Men 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951; +82.5kg - Men 1946; 82.5kg - Men 1938
- Medals: 7 (6 gold, 1 silver)
- Gold – 1951 (+105kg - Men); 1950 (+105kg - Men); 1949 (+105kg - Men); 1947 (+105kg - Men); 1946 (+82.5kg - Men); 1938 (82.5kg - Men)
- Silver – 1953 (+90kg - Men)
Hall Of Fame Bio #
John Davis was a two-time gold medalist in weightlifting at the Olympic Games who set 16 ratified world records throughout his career. The Brooklyn, New York, native first gained international prominence by winning the world light heavyweight Weightlifting title at age 17. At his peak, Davis held every world record in his weight class and became the first man to break the 400-pound barrier in 1951 with his 402-pound clean and jerk. He also won a gold medal at both the Olympic Games London 1948 and the Helsinki 1952 Games. Davis retired from competitive Weightlifting in 1956 after a leg injury sustained at the U.S. Olympic Trials. He passed away from cancer in 1984 at the age of 63.
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