The Phoenix

• Prize
• Photographer
  Malika Sqalli, Austria
• Website
  http://www.malikasqalli.com

Derrick Johnson is also known as the Phoenix, he is in fact a many times Phoenix.
Derrick is 28 years old and he got his start fifteen years ago in competitive style
Olympic weightlifting at Lift for Life Gym, an after school program for underprivileged
youth in the inner city of St. Louis. Derrick would go on to win multiple national
championships throughout all age divisions, 6 American open titles, and make many
international teams representing the United States.
Derrick was awarded the 2010 Developmental Coach of the Year for USA Weightlifting by the
United States Olympic Committee (USOC), and in 2011 Johnson put together the strongest
team in American as they went on to win the men’s American Open team title.
In 2012 Johnson coached Fernando Reis, a member of the Brazilian national team to the
Olympics in weightlifting in London, and was the only coach to produce multiple gold
medalists at the senior national championships in that same year
All that wasnt all smooth groove. At the end of 2012 after a series of hard events and
deception within the field, he sold all he had in St Louis, he headed to California,
decided to aim for the National Championship in 2013 where he won 3 gold and was 2013
National Champion in his weight category.