About Michael Cohen

Michael Cohen is a native of Savannah, Georgia born to Howard and Carol Cohen. Michael made a name for himself in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, having won many National, Junior National, Senior, and Master Championships. Michael is a 3 time Olympian - one of the few in any sport to go as an athlete and a coach. He made the 1980 Olympic team and went on to be a member of the 2000 and 2004 Olympic teams as the head coach. In 1988, Michael founded Team Savannah. Under his direction, Team Savannah has dominated the sport of weightlifting for the last 20 years, producing many National, World, and even Olympic athletes.

1975-79 USA Junior World Weightlifting Team 1977 Maccabi Team (gold) 1980 USA Olympic Team 1981 Maccabi Team (gold) 1981 USA Senior World Team 1982 USA Senior World Team 1983 USA National Champion 1983 USA Pan American Team (silver) 1983 USA Senior World Team 1985 Maccabi Team (gold) 1986 Senior World Team 1986 USA National Champion 1986 Goodwill Team 1989 Maccabi Team (gold) 1997-2013 USA National Masters Champion

Michael Cohen is the ONLY American coach to have athletes medal at all of the following events: Junior Worlds, Senior Worlds, Master Worlds, Pan-Am Championships, Pan-Am Games, and The Olympics. Michael has produced 43 Senior National Champions, 82 Jr National Champions, 41 Youth National Champions, 31 Jr World Team Members, 9 Senior World Team members, 4 Youth World Team members and 3 Olympians!

1988 Founder, Team Savannah Weightlifting, Inc. 1993-2000 USA Junior World Team Coaching Staff 1998-2005 USA Weightlifting Women’s World Team Head Coach 1995-1996 Atlanta Olympic Training Coordinator (Savannah) 1996 Head Strength Coach, United Arab Emirates / Bahrain Paralympic Team 1998 USA Olympic Weightlifting Coach of the Year 1999 USA Olympic Weightlifting Coach of the Year 1999 USA Weightlifting Women’s Pan American Games Head Coach 1999 Competition Manager (Junior World Championships) 2000 Member, 2000 U.S. Olympic Team, Women's Weightlifting Head Coach 2001 USA Goodwill Games Head Women’s Coach 2003 USA Weightlifting Women’s Pan American Games Head Coach 2003 Competition Manager World Masters Championships 2004 Member, 2004 U.S. Olympic Team, Women's Weightlifting Head Coach 2011 – 2013 Savannah State University Strength & Conditioning Coordinator (Basketball – men and women, Softball, Baseball, Volleyball, Cheerleading, Golf) 2013–present Director of Strength and Conditioning National Wheelchair Basketball Association (who won double golds in Rio in 2016) 2016 -present -Founder and creator of GEM (Get Excited and Move), an innovative exercise program for those with Parkinson's and other movement disorders