Lewisville’s Randall is golden in Masters Weightlifting
Published 12:00 am Thursday, May 19, 2022
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Jim Randall of Lewisville continues to excel as a master weightlifter. He recently swept the 2021 competition events and was given the “Grand Slam Award” in Olympics Masters Weightlifting.
In doing so, he is the only U.S. athlete in his age/weight division to win this coveted award that involves winning gold in every Olympics Weightlifting Championship during the same year.
“I knew Jim had a good shot at sweeping the championships, but to do so, you have to stay healthy, travel quite a bit, have a great deal of discipline, and work very hard,” said Rob Arroyo, the Olympics team coach. “Over the past 25 years, I’ve coached a lot of talented athletes at the Olympic level. To date, Jim is only one to have achieved Grand Slam status, and I am very proud of him. He is now part of a very elite group of Olympic athletes.”
Randall began his Olympic Masters Weightlifting career by winning the U.S. Olympic National Weightlifting Championships in March. He has now finished the year winning Gold at the HC American Open held recently in Reno, Nevada.
He is now the National, HC American Open, Pan American, and reigning World Champion (bringing home the gold medal for the U.S.) in Masters Olympic Weightlifting — an accomplishment very few athletes have achieved in Olympics Masters history.
Although Randall was selected to compete in Japan with the U.S. Masters Olympic Weightlifting Team in 2022, the games were cancelled until further notice because of COVID.
“For now, I’ll be taking a break until the end of the year; enjoy the holidays; then begin training for the 2023 National Championships in March. As with all Olympic competition, it will be a new year and we’ll have to prove ourselves all over again to the National selection committee. If I can stay healthy, I’d like to qualify and make the “cut” for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France,” Randall said.