COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. --- USA Weightlifting is excited to announce that it will bring 69kg Mattie Rogers (Apopka, Florida) and +75kg Marissa Klingseis (St. Joseph, Missouri) to Rio de Janiero, Brazil, to train with the 2016 US Olympic Team of Kendrick Farris, Morghan King, Jenny Arthur and Sarah Robles.

Following a practice adopted by many other Olympic National Governing Bodies, USA Weightlifting will use Rogers and Klingseis as training partners for Jenny Arthur and Sarah Robles, respectively. This opportunity will expose these young athletes to the Olympic Games in anticipation of their strong candidacy for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.



Klingseis, 21, placed 5th on the Olympic Games ranking list with a 257kg total in the +75kg category and is a IWF Junior World Championship medalist, as well as multi-time Junior Pan American Champion. Klingseis lifts for the Wesley Weightlifting club in St. Joseph, Missouri, and currently attends Missouri State Western University.



Rogers, 21, placed 3rd on the Olympic Games ranking list with a 238kg total in the 69kg category, increasing her American Record total to 239kg at the 2016 Pan American Championships on her way to the Silver medal. Rogers lifts for the Team O.C. club in the Orlando, Florida area.



“USA Weightlifting is delighted that the United States Olympic Committee has given us the opportunity to expand the athletes who are able to experience the unique atmosphere of the Olympic Games,” USA Weightlifting CEO Phil Andrews said.

“Not only do we hope this will enhance the training of our Olympic Team, we also hope that this experience prepares these two promising athletes to the unique challenges an athlete faces at the Olympic Games and therefore helps them as they prepare for the Road to Tokyo 2020,” Andrews said.

Jessica Lucero, 27, placed 4th on the Olympic Games ranking list with an American Record 208kg total in the 58kg category. However, restrictions on bed spaces and that Lucero is not close in Weight category to the Olympic Team members means she is not able to be included in the Training Partner program. Similarly, due to the availability and the size of the USA Weightlifting team in Rio, male training partners are also not included.

USA Weightlifting is also pleased to share that Personal Coaches Tim Swords (Sarah Robles) and Kevin Doherty (Jenny Arthur) have secured credentials to coach in Rio. We are awaiting further credential confirmations at this time. Doherty, Nasirnia & Swords will be joined by Head Coach Zygmunt Smalcerz. Coach Dr. Kyle Pierce (Kendrick Farris) already had confirmed his credential, while Dean Kruse (Morghan King) will also be in Rio to assist with training King.