USA Weightlifting’s 2019 Nike American Open Series 1, powered by Rogue Fitness will return to the Arnold Festival at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio February 28, 2019 to March 3, 2019.

The event will take place as part of the wider Arnold Sports Festival, one of the largest strength sport festivals in the world and will once again feature 4 days of competition from Thursday to Sunday. The Arnold Weightlifting Championships, hosted by the Columbus Weightlifting Club, have been a fixture at the Arnold Sports Festival and on the annual Weightlifting calendar for 17 consecutive years.

In 2019, the competition will be limited to the first 600 athletes to register. Athletes who are members of the US Anti-Doping Agency’s National Testing Pool or IWF International Testing Pool, or whom are ranked in the Top 25 on an active ranking list for an IWF competition will not be subject to the cap. This will allow for the competition to run on a two-platform set-up in its customary venue location while providing opportunity for expansion onto the featured Rogue Stage in the main expo hall. Top contenders for a roster spot on Team USA will lift at AO1, as it will serve as a qualifier for the 2019 IWF World Championships, to be held in Pattaya, Thailand on September 16-25.

Registration will open on November 1, 2018. After 600 athletes are registered, a wait list will be created to replace athletes in chronological order as withdrawals are made until the entry deadline of January 31st, 2019 at 2pm MST is reached. The qualification period for this competition is January 28, 2018 to January 27, 2019.

“We are pleased to once again partner with Mark Cannella and Shelly Viets of Columbus Weightlifting to host AO1 at the Arnold for the second year in a row. The feedback from last year told us that athletes wanted this to happen again, and with Mark and Shelly’s support we can do that,” said Phil Andrews, CEO of USA Weightlifting. “We regret the need to cap the event, but due to space limitations it is necessary to provide a quality experience. We do not intend to cap any other competitions.”

For athletes who are seeking alternative opportunities to compete at the national level, the National University and National Under 25 Championships will be held in Las Vegas, NV on March 7-10, 2019, and the National Masters Championships will be held in Salt Lake City, UT on March 28-31, 2019.

The qualifying totals for the American Open Series are available HERE.

Hotel details will be posted soon. If you're a vendor interested in attending any of our 2019 national events, please CLICK HERE.