Nature Coast senior Justin Delery wins two state silver medals in weightlifting

Justin Delery walked out of George Jenkins Arena with two silver medals and the kind of finish that can sting in the moment and still define a career. The Nature Coast Technical senior from Brooksville was runner-up in both Olympic and traditional at the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 2A boys weightlifting state championships in Lakeland, a result that put him among the most accomplished lifters in the program’s recent history.

The state meet was staged May 6-8 inside the RP Funding Center, marking the fourth straight year Lakeland hosted the boys weightlifting finals. On Wednesday, Delery totaled 605 pounds in Olympic, going 260 in the snatch and 345 in the clean-and-jerk. South Sumter’s Gabriel Garrett edged him by five pounds at 610, leaving Delery just short of gold after a tight finish.

Delery’s day was even stronger in traditional. He benched 375 pounds and finished with a 720-pound total, good for second place again and a major jump from where he stood two years earlier. In 2024, Delery placed seventh in the 183-pound traditional division with a 535-pound total. His rise from 535 to 720 pounds underscored how much strength and consistency he added by the end of his senior year.

Nature Coast head coach Chris Hawley said Delery looked especially locked in and competitive on the platform, and that he hit a personal record in the clean-and-jerk by about 25 pounds. The result showed why weightlifting draws so much attention in Hernando County: one big lift can swing an entire state medal race, and Delery delivered enough to stay in the hunt deep into the final attempts.

Delery’s finish also capped a solid postseason run. He won the Class 2A, District 9 title at Weeki Wachee High on April 9 with a 685-pound total, then carried that momentum into states. Nature Coast finished seventh overall in traditional with 10 team points, adding another line to a county program that has continued to produce high-level lifters.

The Sharks had already shown their strength at the GCAC championship on March 12, when Nature Coast and Central split the boys team titles. Delery’s two silver medals fit that larger pattern: a county lifter reaching the final stage and leaving behind a benchmark younger athletes at Nature Coast and across Hernando County can measure themselves against.