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Weightlifting Sports |
Weightlifting, a sport where competitors attempt to lift
heavy weights mounted on steel bars. This sport is a combination of
power and technique. The term "weightlifting" is also
referred to 'weight training' informally.
In competitions, weightlifters compete in one of eight (seven for
women) divisions determined by their body mass. For men the classes
are 56 kg, 62 kg, 69 kg, 77 kg, 85 kg, 94 kg, 105 kg and 105+ kg.
For women the classes are 48 kg, 53 kg, 58 kg, 63 kg, 69 kg, 75 kg,
and 75+ kg.
DO YOU KNOW
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There are two different
weightlifting events - the "snatch" and the "clean
and jerk." |
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In
snatch the competitors lift the barbell above their head in one
steady movement. |
This
event of 'clean and press' was eliminated due to the difficulty
in judging whether the lift was performed correctly. |
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In
both the above cases, for a successful lift, the competitors
hold the bar steady above their heads, with arms and legs
straight and motionless. |
A
third lift, the "clean and press" also simply known as
"press", was practiced in the Olympics until 1972. |
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The
'clean and press' differs from the clean and jerk, in which the
weight is pressed directly up from the chest in slow controlled
motion rather than being jerked. |
In
clean and jerk the competitors first "clean" the
barbell from the floor to an intermediate position squating with
the barbell resting in front of the neck on the clavicle and
deltoid muscles. After this they stand straight while continuing
to rest the barbell, then "jerking" the barbell to a
position above their head. |
TOP LIFTERS
According to a poll conducted by the International Weightlifting
Federation (IWF) in 1982 produced Tommy Kono as the greatest
weightlifter in history. Tommy Kono represented the US setting 26
world records. He won 2 Olympic Gold Medals (1952 and 1956) and an
Olympic Silver Medal (1960). He remains the only weightlifter to set
world records in four different weight classes.
In the history of weightlifting, only 4 weightlifters have managed
to capture 3 Olympic gold medals. Naim Suleymanoglu of Turkey won
Olympic gold in 1988, 1992 and 1996, while Pyrros Dimas & Kakhi
Kakhiashvili of Greece and Halil Mutlu of Turkey repeated the same,
with three successive victories through the 2000 Olympic Games for
the two Greeks, and through the 2004 Games for Mutlu.
Weightlifting
