Posts about weightlifting history
Weightlifting at the 1972 Olympics occurred in Munich, Germany, from August 27 to Sept.6. In 1969, the International Weightlifting Federation added two new weight classes: flyweight (52 kg), bantamweight (56 kg), featherweight (60 kg), lightweight (67.5 kg), middleweight (75 kg), light heavyweight (82.5 kg), middle heavyweight (90 kg), heavyweight (110 kg), and Superheavyweight (over 110 … Read more
The 1968 Olympics were held in Mexico City in October. The Weightlifting was held from October 17th to October 21st. Some call these Olympic Games the Autumn Olympics due to its later than usual start. The reason for the late start was to avoid Mexico’s rainy season. The late start turned out to be a … Read more
Here’s a quick look at some of the accomplishments of four great weightlifters from yesteryear. For more information on these weightlifters, please listen to the podcast with my special guest, Dr. Conor Hefernan, on No Nonsense, Old School Weightlifting History. You can also listen to the podcast on Yesterday’s Sports. Paul Anderson USA Paul Anderson … Read more
When I first started competing in Olympic Weightlifting in 1981, I wanted to learn about the sport’s history and the men who made it great. I read all the lifting magazines I could find, and one of the first lifters I read about was John Davis. Davis’ weightlifting career spanned from 1937 to 1956, and … Read more
One of my favorite weightlifters to watch was Stefan Botev. Botev was born on Feb.14, 1968, in Harmanli, Bulgaria, and was coached by the legendary Ivan Abadzhiev. Stefan stood 5′ 11 (180 centimeters) and competed in the 110 kilo/242 lbs weight class. Later in his career, he moved up to the Superheavyweight class but was … Read more