The host nation also started strongly, with men’s 55kg continental records for Miguel Suarez, although there was a surprise defeat for the five-time continental champion Francisco Mosquera at 67kg.

Brazil continued its steady progress with sisters Emily and Natasha Figueiredo both on the podium at 45kg and 49kg, and a third medal from Leticia Laurindo in a remarkably tight women’s 55kg contest.

Morris, the first American winner, claimed the junior world record with a clean and jerk of 162kg.

The reigning junior world champion had missed two of his snatch attempts and was trailing by 4kg at halfway, but his phenomenal efforts in the clean and jerk took him clear of his rivals.

Morris, 18, made all three lifts to better his own junior world record by 1kg and finish on 117-162-279.

Cuba’s Arley Calderon was second on 117-158-275 and the Colombian Habib De Las Salas third on 121-152-273.

The Americans had a one-two finish in the women’s 49kg, where there were plenty of contenders.

The top three were separated by only 2kg, and the top six by 8kg.

Hayley Reichardt won her second straight continental title by making her final attempt to finish on 84-108-192, overtaking Jourdan Delacruz.

Delacruz, who holds all three Pan American records at this weight but suffered disappointment with a bomb-out at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, was second on 83-108-191 and Natasha Figueiredo, who was ninth in Tokyo, was a further kilogram behind in third place.

Natasha’s sister Emily had already claimed the 45kg crown, and a Pan American junior record in the clean and jerk, with 73-90-163, ahead of the American Cicely Kyle and Venezuela’s Rosielis Quintana.

The third champion for the US was Shayla Moore at 55kg, another tight contest in which there were five athletes in with a chance of the title deep into the session.

Moore came into weightlifting in 2018 via USA Weightlifting’s talent identification programme, having been in acrobatics before then.

In her first international appearance she made 83-110-193 to finish ahead of the former Pan American junior champion Jennifer Hernandez, from Ecuador.

Brazil’s Laurindo, who led in the snatch, was third on 85-105-190.

The big surprise on day two was Jair Reyes' victory in the men’s 67kg.

To overtake the Colombian favourite Francisco Mosquera, Reyes, having failed at 168kg, had to go up 11kg to 179kg on his final attempt – and he made the lift.

Mosquera still had a chance to take his sixth Pan American Championships title but he missed his final attempt at 181kg, which is 2kg below his own continental record.

The finishing order was Reyes first on 136-179-315, Mosquera second on 135-177-312 and the Peruvian Luis Bardales third on 299kg.

Suarez won gold for Colombia in the men’s 55kg, in which he set continental records of 142kg in the clean and jerk and 247kg on total.

He made six from six to finish 13kg clear of the Mexican Jose Poox, with Cuba’s Osmei Argote a further 6kg back in third place.

Luis Mosquera, who was a silver medallist for Colombia in Tokyo, injured his right hand at the Bolivarian Games two weeks ago and is not competing in Bogotá, but the host nation has two favourites on day three of the competition in Yenny Alvarez and Gustavo Maldonado, respectively in the women’s 59kg and men’s 81kg.

The meeting is a qualifying event for the Pan American Games in Chile next year.