Knowra Olympic weightlifting Olympic weightlifting A strength sport in which athletes lift a barbell from the floor overhead in the snatch and clean and jerk. Competitors are ranked by the combined weight of their best successful lift in each event.
Snatch : A weightlifting lift in which a barbell moves from the floor to overhead in one continuous motion. One of the sport’s two competition lifts, testing speed and coordination in a single movement.
Barbell : A long metal bar with weighted ends, used for strength exercises and competitive lifting. Athletes use a specialized barbell to perform both competition lifts.
Weightlifting at the 1896 Summer Olympics : The two weightlifting events contested at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. The sport’s Olympic debut featured lifts unlike today’s snatch and clean and jerk.
Naim Süleymanoğlu : A Turkish weightlifter who won three consecutive Olympic gold medals from 1988 through 1996. His performances made him one of the sport’s most celebrated champions.
Powerlifting : A strength sport comprising the squat, bench press, and deadlift. Unlike weightlifting, it tests maximal strength in three slower lifts rather than two overhead lifts.
Clean and jerk : A weightlifting lift that brings a barbell to the shoulders in the clean, then drives it overhead in the jerk. The other competition lift, dividing the bar’s journey overhead into two phases.
Weightlifting plates : Discs mounted on a barbell to set its total load, often designed to absorb impact. Colored, standardized plates make competition loads adjustable and recognizable.
Weightlifting at the 1920 Summer Olympics : The Antwerp Olympic competition that marked weightlifting’s return after its absence from the 1912 Games. The 1920 competition began the sport’s continuous presence in the Summer Olympics.
Lasha Talakhadze : A Georgian weightlifter and multiple Olympic champion in the super-heavyweight category. His record-setting totals illustrate the extreme loads reached in the sport.
Strongman : A strength sport involving varied events such as carries, pulls, and object lifts. Its changing implements and tasks contrast with weightlifting’s standardized barbell lifts.
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