BEAUFORT S.C. (WSAV) – Beaufort native CJ Cummings will make the journey to Tokyo for the 2021 Olympics as a member of Team USA weightlifting.

The 20-year-old is the youngest lifter on the eight-person team, but his resume is already as impressive as any of his teammates’. Cummings is a four-time junior world champion and two-time youth world champion. He also holds 23 different American records.

“It’s an unbelievable experience,” Cummings told WSAV. “I’ve been training for this a very long time, and for the moment to actually come, it’s hard to explain.”

Cummings’ trainer, Ray Jones, said that making the Olympics, while an honor, was not the primary driver of Cummings’ weightlifting efforts.

“It’s about just being the best you can be,” Jones said. “The fact that he was this unbelievably gifted athlete, it’s like, he’s my kid. I want to ride it as far as I can and have him be as successful as he can be. But my goal for all the years that I’ve worked (with him) is to make a difference in the life of kids.”

The USA Weightlifting team will train for the Olympics at a secure bubble location in Honolulu, Hawaii before going to Tokyo.

The Olympics will kick off on Friday, July 23 on WSAV.