From American football to weightlifting - the unusual journey of USA's Kolbi Ferguson: “No one has done what I'm about to do”

An uneven lifting base. No training gym. Not even a partner or a coach, it’s just Kolbi Ferguson and his weightlifting aspirations — snatching for a medal at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

“I struggle with a lot, and I beat myself. But if I fix one thing that day, I am happy, one per cent better, that’s all I worry about,” he told Weightlifting House.

Ferguson is one of the top-ranked US weightlifters competing in the 2025 IWF World Championships, taking place in Førde, Norway, from October 2–11.

“I train alone every single day…But if you are committed and love what you do, you can make it. So don’t give up. Because a lot of folks said I wouldn’t make it this far.”

His extraordinary journey has been a transformative experience. He was a former college football player who chanced upon Olympic weightlifting. Despite his success, the 24-year-old's path remains full of challenges but is paved with big dreams.

“I'm not scared to get under no weight. I don't care how heavy. I could have never touched it. I don't care,” said Ferguson.

2025 World Weightlifting Championships preview: Full schedule, athletes to watch, and how to stream the event live

2025 IWF World Weightlifting Championships: Schedule, all results, and medal winners

The swap from “hitting people” on the fields to power cleans

As an athlete, Ferguson was something of a raw talent. He was tougher than people realised and was easily drawn to the football fields as he enjoyed “hitting people”.

He even received several football scholarship offers.

"I tried football first, but it didn't work out in my favour,” he recalled in a recent interview as he looked ahead to his second World Championships after his debut in Manama last December.

“I went to a small school called Mars Hill, and they told us we weren’t going to play. I knew football was done.

"I was sitting in my room. I was like, ‘Man, I wanted to be competitive. ’ I remember my high school coach saying, ‘Ferg, you need to try this Olympic weightlifting’.”

That change paid off when he met a weightlifting coach, Cord Gunnin.

“You know, Ferg came in, and I think he power snatched like 120kg or something…like, day one. That kind of potential takes time to kind of unlock it,” said Gunnin.

"I didn't know anything about this sport. In football training, all we did was power cleans. I had never done a full clean or snatch in my life,” added Ferguson.

[Before switching sports] I do remember seeing my old strength and conditioning coach doing a snatch once, and I told myself, 'Man, this guy is crazy.' But it's funny—now we're here, and I'm doing those crazy things."

Ferguson’s steady rise to the world podium

Success quickly came his way. He secured a medal at his inaugural national competition, the American Open, just a year after commencing his new sport. Subsequently, he achieved another podium finish at the University Nationals.

Then he stepped on the podium at the senior nationals at the 2023 USA weightlifting championships in Colorado Springs.

“That feeling it was like, man! I know I can compete with these dudes.”

Barely three years in the sport, Ferguson got his big break in 2024 when he was named alongside Olympic champion Olivia Reeves for the World champs.

In Manama, he made an impressive first-time appearance, lifting 170kg and 211 kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 381kg in the men’s 109kg division against a stacked field that included the world and Olympic champion Ruslan Nurudinov. The Uzbek star won the contest by a wide margin, 20kg, securing another stunning world record.

"It was amazing to see, rightfully so. It was unbelievable. I do believe I'll be there in due time…I'm blessed, I have the strength,” said Ferguson, who managed to secure funding as a full-time athlete after the worlds.

“Truthfully, being placed eighth in the world, that keeps me going. It pisses me off. But these men I'm competing against are very, very talented, and they've been doing this since they were kids. I'm trying to catch up to them, to get my technique to that level.

“I'll get there. The only person that's stopping me is me."

A Journey of resilience: No coach, uneven platform

In only his second international competition and his first Senior Pan-American Championships last July, he put in a huge effort to top his weight category.

Ferguson became the first US athlete to sweep gold in the heavyweight category since at least 2008.

“I'm blessed that I'm strong enough to handle these weights; I just need to learn how to lift them,” said the rising star.

“So I'm prioritising being calm and patient instead of trying to be a brute all the time. It's all about building consistency in everything, from the way I chalk my hands to the way I approach the bar."

He is also “committed” to seeing his technique and potential through. The lifter continues to see progress even in moments of slow growth.

“I train by myself. My coach has a full-time job now. I just live at home. I send him videos, and that's the best we can do right now. So crazy,” he said of his bumpy ride.

“I train at the YMCA… I train at home… It's hard because you see the platform is uneven…my high school built that platform for me.”

The goal is an Olympic medal at LA 2028

Still, he remains optimistic about his resilience.

“I'm very different. I do what everybody says don't do, most of the time. Get social media. No, I'm not doing it. You can get these sponsors. No, I don't care...” he said of his motivation to embrace the sporting challenges coming his way.

“A lot of the young men out here who are chasing [sports like football], they have families to feed. I'm not saying weightlifting can't bring you money, but it comes at a slower pace.

“[Athletes in commercial sports] can go to sleep broke and wake up rich the next day. I do believe there are a lot of gems in those sports, but I don't think they'd ever want to transfer over to weightlifting.

“They'd look at the financial opportunities and say we're dumb, or we're crazy [for doing weightlifting]. But I'm very thankful to be in this position, to travel the world lifting weights and represent my country."

For Ferguson, Førde represents a new chapter in his quest for fame and an additional opportunity to compete against the world's best.

“It's beautiful because I can see from the start how I have moved to now. It isn't where I want to be, but I'm just thinking, Dang! Think about three years from now…. I don't even know how to put it into words. No one has done what I'm about to do. I already sense it. I know it. I have a feeling it's already written.”

The World Championships are merely another achievement in his aspirations for his weightlifting career.

“To get an Olympic medal,” he said.

“That is the main goal. And to give motivation to people in my town, that's the main thing. I have to really live, eat, and sleep more weightlifting. And absolutely staying in love with weightlifting. I think that's the biggest thing.”

Click here to read article