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Keiser Witte, a former Arizona State swimmer, clinched a silver medal in weightlifting at the Pan American Games 2023 in Santiago, Chile.
Witte secured the silver medal in the men's +102kg weightlifting category. He clean and jerked 409 kg to claim his victory. Colombia’s Rafael Cerro clinched the gold medal by lifting 410kg. Dixon Arroyo had to settle for third place after lifting 371 kg.
Apart from his remarkable performance in Santiago, Witte displayed a noteworthy performance at the 2021 Pan American Weightlifting Championships held in Guayaquil, Ecuador in November 2021. He won three medals including a gold and two silver medals.
In the +109kg, he won the gold medal in the total and one silver in the snatch event, where he lifted 181kg, and another silver in the clean and jerk event, where he lifted 215 kg. Witte has been a national champion thrice.
In 2018, he competed in the +105 kg weight category and lifted 377.0 kg. In 2020, he lifted 390 kg, while competing in the +109 kg class. In the 2023 National Championships, he lifted 412 kgs in the +109 kg class.
Keiser had been a swimmer in his freshman year for the 2013-14 season and holds a decent record in his swimming career. He recorded season-best times of 20.31 in the 50m freestyle, 44.22 in the 100m freestyle, and 1:39.42 in the 200m freestyle. He also earned All-America honors in both the 50m and 100m freestyle.
Other USA athletes in the weightlifting events at the Pan American Games 2023
The American squad at the 2023 Pan American Games has bagged a total of four medals, including two gold, one silver, and a bronze in weightlifting events.
Apart from Keiser Witte, Olivia Reeves clinched a gold medal in the women's +81 kg weight category by lifting 258 kg and left behind Yudelina Mejia and Laura Amaro, who lifted 244 kg and 242 kg respectively.
Mary Theisen-Lappen clinched a gold in the +81 kgs women category. She lifted 277 kg and finished ahead of Lisseth Ayovi from Ecuador and Crismery Santana from the Dominican Republic, who lifted 276 kg and 267 kg respectively.
Meredith Alwine secured a bronze medal in the women's +71 kg category. She had to settle for third place after lifting 239 kg.
