Farris began lifting when he was 12-years-old after his uncle, Kevin Burns, read an article in the newspaper about a weightlifting development center for young athletes. Less than 10 years after his introduction to the sport, Farris won back-to-back National titles in 2006 and 2007 en route to qualifying for his first Olympic Team. Farris set two American Records at the Olympic Games in Beijing where he placed eighth. He attributes faith in God and hard work to his success and has his sights set on climbing onto the World and Olympic podiums. The 24-year-old juggles being a father to his four-year-old son Khalil with his quest for a clean and jerk World Record – a feat that he has come even closer to with practice lifts that are within eight kilograms of the World Record.
