Weightlifting

Inscriptions on heavy ancient stones indicate that athletes have been lifting weights at least as long ago as the sixth century BC in Greece and in other countries. Weightlifting was part of the first modern Olympic Games of 1896, with women's events introduced in 2000. It is an original Pan American sport as well, beginning in 1951.

Weightlifting consists of two movements: the snatch and the clean & jerk. Athletes compete in categories according to their body weight. The goal is to execute a proper lift with as heavy a weight as possible. If a lift is successful, the lifter must add at least 2.5kg for the next attempt. If the first or second attempt is unsuccessful, the lifter may try the same weight again.

The "snatch" requires speed, coordination and strength. The lift is performed taking a very wide grip on the bar and in one motion the bar is lifted to an overhead position with the arms fully extended. When the bar reaches a height slightly below the chest the athlete will either drop down into a full squat position or split the legs front and back while going under the bar. The lift must be performed very quickly and accurately to ensure that the athlete is directly under the bar before gravity takes over.

The "clean and jerk" is a two-stage lift. The first part is the "clean," in which the goal is to get the weight to the shoulders. A grip that is about shoulder width is used but the athlete will again employ the squat to assist in lifting more weight. After fixing the bar on the shoulders the lifter will rise to a standing position. The competitor then bends the legs and with great force drives the weight to fully extended arms' length. This portion of the lift is called the "jerk".

Athletes

Comments (0)

You must be logged in to leave a comment.

Sign Up or Login