|
An ancient sport
as old as mankind, embodying the most direct manifestation
of human strength, weightlifting has not only flourished,
but developed into a modern sporting discipline for the 21st
century. The apparent simplicity of lifting the barbell from
the ground and over the head in one or two movements is
deceiving. Weightlifting requires a combination of power,
speed, technique, concentration and timing.
Super
heavyweight lifters normally claim the title of World's
Strongest Man or Woman. However, kilo per kilo, the lightest
weightlifter is often the strongest.
Men's
weightlifting was on the programme of the first modern
Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, and women participated for
the first time ever at the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000.
Lifters perform
two types of lifts - the snatch and the clean and jerk. In
the snatch, they lift the bar to arm's length above their
head in one movement. In the clean and jerk, they lift the
bar to their shoulders, stand up straight, then jerk the bar
to arm's length above their head. Lifters are allowed three
attempts at each lift, and their best snatch and best
clean-and-jerk figures are added to determine the winners.
|
