Interviewed for Family Entourage
Family Entourage: Hi Hampton, thank you so much for carving out time to talk with us. First off and foremost, congratulations on earning a spot on USA’s weightlifting team. So excited for you!
Hampton Morris: Yeah, thank you again. I’m really excited. I can’t wait. It’s going to be a lot of fun.
FE: It such an exciting time. You’re only 20 years old. You’ll be a first time Olympian, your dad is your coach. He’ll be a first time Olympic coach. How did the two of you celebrate clinching that spot?
HM: So we first found out that I was, we first knew for sure that I was going to be on the Olympic team right before I competed at the World Cup at Thailand. So we knew that it was a possibility going into it that we might know for sure ahead of time. And he told me that if it does end up like that, then we’d just go for something big, have fun, and actually ended up setting a world record in the clean and jerk that competition.
FE: So before we get to that world record, share with us a little bit about how you even became aware and passionate about weightlifting.
HM: So I started doing some CrossFit and barbell sport, like barbell work to get stronger for soccer when I was about 10 years old. Started doing local weightlifting competitions a year and a half, two years after that. So I was 12 and about a year later I did my first national level meet youth nationals here in Atlanta. That was when I decided that I wanted to stop playing soccer, just focus only on weightlifting and really just haven’t stopped since then.
FE: I think it’s so interesting that your dad is your coach. What does that relationship look like? Do you have specific boundaries when you’re in the gym, it’s coach athlete, when you’re in the house, it’s father, son, how do you have those boundaries so to speak?
HM: Yeah, so we have struggled with that some in the past, but lately it’s felt more natural. I feel like since really the beginning of this quad when I really started going for the Olympic spot, it’s just felt a lot more natural and it’s almost felt like he plays both roles at the same time, at least to me is how it feels. He definitely is more coach in the gym, more dad in the house, but I feel like it works best when he, we’ve really figured out how we can work well together and he knows when he needs to be coached and when he needs to be the dad, and I feel like that’s what’s been working so well lately.
FE: Fast forward, you’re the first man from the USA to win a world championship gold medal in 50 years. Describe to us that feeling, that moment when that all happened.
HM: That whole day was just really emotional because before I did my cleaning jerks, I actually bombed out in the snatch. I missed all my snatches on the competition stage, which first time bombing out in an international event really was just shocked about that. But after I missed my last attempt, my dad just looked at me and said, do you want a clean and jerk? And I said yes, and we didn’t have anything to lose, so we just went for it and yeah, we were in the back watching the Chinese athlete take his last attempt. It was the last of the session and he missed it and it was immediately just so emotional, big hug between us really. That’s the first time I’ve cried out of happiness. Yeah,
FE: A lot of sacrifice goes into getting you to that moment, getting you to the Olympics. I love that you’re sitting in your gym that is your garage that you’ve converted. Talk to me about what it means to be able to have everything that you need right at your own house.
HM: Yeah, so I mean it really makes it just way easier. Of course, I really don’t know that I would be able to compete at this level if I didn’t have everything that I need available to me as conveniently as I do. So all my food is at the house, all the equipment, everything that I’ll need for training and all the recovery tools as well. So really it frees up my schedule to allow me to fit as much in as possible to keep me healthy, keep me prepared for training. Definitely wouldn’t be possible if I didn’t have everything here at the house with me.
And you did say that you did mention sacrifices and Yeah, I of course have to make my own sacrifices. I have just a strict diet, the strict schedule. I don’t ever leave the house except to go to physical therapy and massage and stuff like that on my rest days, which today is that day, it’s very, very busy schedule. But my family also makes sacrifices. They sacrifice the whole three car garage, all the energy, money, effort to put this whole thing together, sacrificed lots of space in the house, lots of time out of their lives to help me make my Olympic dreams possible. I’m just so grateful for that.
FE: And will your family be able to join you in Paris?
HM: Yes, they will. So of course my dad is traveling with on the same schedule as all the coaches. Then my mom and sister are going to be in Paris for, I forget exactly how long. It’s about two weeks to be there and she and me on got just a whole list of family and friends that are going to be coming to support me and have already bought tickets to my session. It’s going to be so amazing. I’m so excited.
FE: Well, and how fun that the Olympics aren’t in Paris this year. I mean, if you have to go to a city that’s a great one to get a go to and not a hard sell for a family, get to see you, maybe bring home a gold, go to Eiffel Tower, have some coffee. We understand you’re a coffee aficionado, so talk to me. Will you have any time to be built in any time for some sight scene with them after?
HM: Really I’m just most focused on the competition itself. We are definitely planning on watching some of the other events, but I’m not, definitely not going to let it distract me too much ahead of my competition really. I want to be as prepared as I possibly can be to do well. But yeah, we’re definitely going to have a, it is going to be a really great experience.
FE: What encouragement do you have for maybe some young aspiring athletes that might be cheering for you and Team USA?
HM: I’ve been really in the sport for eight years and I feel like that speaks a lot to the power of consistency, dedication to the things that you want to do to achieve your goals, but more than just putting the time in to achieving them, it’s really important. The sacrifices that you make need to match your goals is what I’m trying to say.
FE: I love, you’ve got TYR front and center across your chest, which is fantastic and they’re outfitting a lot of athletes at the Olympics this year. What does it mean to you to be able to represent the brand and your country in this way?
HM: So both of them to me are just incredible opportunities just for different reasons. I’m just very grateful that I’ve received the support that I have from Tier and I’m proud that I get to represent them on the international stage. Really it’s just amazing to be able to represent my home country on the Olympic stage. It’s again, so much hard work, dedication, sacrifice from, again, not only me, but so many people around me and I feel like it’s all really just paying off.
