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Weightlifting - Summer Olympic Sport
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Weightlifting


Weightlifting has ancient origins. It featured at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896.

A long history

As a means to measure strength and power, weightlifting was practised both by ancient Egyptian and Greek societies. It developed as an international sport primarily in the 19th century and is one of the few sports to have featured at the 1896 Athens Games.

Power struggle

At the beginning of the century, Austria, Germany and France were the most successful nations. However in the 1950s, the Soviet Union’s weightlifters rose to prominence and stayed there until the 1990s when China, Turkey, Greece and Iran catapulted to the lead. In the women’s field, China has been dominant since the very beginning.

Olympic history

Although men’s weightlifting has always been on the programme of the Olympic Games - except for at the 1900, 1908 and 1912 editions – women started to participate only at the 2000 Games in Sydney.

The Olympic weightlifting programme has evolved greatly over time. Today, weightlifters compete in snatch and clean and jerk, and are placed according to their total combined result. From the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, men have competed in eight weight categories and women in seven. This total of 15 events remains unchanged.

Great champions

Turkey’s and Halil Mutlu have each won three gold medals, like Greece’s Pyrros Dimas and Kakhi Kakhiasvilis. Hungarian weightlifter Imre Földi and Germany’s Ronnie Weller and Ingo Steinhöfel hold a special record: they participated in the Olympic Games five times.

In women’s weightlifting, China’s Chen Yanqing and Liu Chunhong have both won two gold medals.

Weightlifting has been present at 23 editions of the Games, and has placed on the podium champions from 32 different National Olympic Committees (NOCs).

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Gallery

Buenos Aires 2018 - Weightlifting - Men’s +85kg
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Buenos Aires 2018 - Weightlifting - Men’s +85kg

Cristiano Giuseppe Ficco of Italy in action during the Group A Final of the Weightlifting Mens 85kg on Day 6 of the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games at Europa Pavillon, Youth Olympic Park on October 12, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
IOC/OIS
Buenos Aires 2018 - Weightlifting - Women’s +63kg
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Buenos Aires 2018 - Weightlifting - Women’s +63kg

Kumushkhon Fayzullaeva of Uzbekistan in action during the Weightlifting Womens +63kg Final on Day 6 of the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games at Europa Pavillon, Youth Olympic Park on October 12, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
IOC/OIS
Buenos Aires 2018 - Weightlifting - Men’s 62kg
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Buenos Aires 2018 - Weightlifting - Men’s 62kg

Emanuel Marian Danciu ROU in action during the Weightlifting Mens 62kg Group A competition in the Europa Pavilion, Youth Olympic Park during The Youth Olympic Games, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday 8th October 2018.
Jonathan Nackstrand for OIS/IOC
Buenos Aires 2018 - Weightlifting - Women’s 48kg
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Buenos Aires 2018 - Weightlifting - Women’s 48kg

Yesica Yadira Hernandez Vieyra MEX lifts for the Gold Medal in the Weightlifting Womens 48kg Category at the Europa Pavilion, Youth Olympic Park. The Youth Olympic Games, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday 8th October 2018.
Jonathan Nackstrand for OIS/IOC
Weightlifting - Women’s 44kg
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Weightlifting - Women’s 44kg

Katherin Oriana Echandia Zarate of Venezuela celebrate during the Weightlifting - Women’s 44kg on Day 1 of the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games at the Europa Pavilion, Youth Olympic Park on October 7, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
IOC/OIS
Weightlifting - Women’s 44kg
Image Alt Text

Weightlifting - Women’s 44kg

Katherin Oriana Echandia Zarate of Venezuela in action during the Weightlifting - Women’s 44kg on Day 1 of the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games at the Europa Pavilion, Youth Olympic Park on October 7, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
IOC/OIS
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