Australia and Olympic Weightlifting
Australia sent its first weightlifters to London in 1948. Four years later in Helsinki, Vern Barberis won a bronze medal in the lightweight category. It took another 32 years before the next weightlifting medal was won by an Australian - in fact two were won. At Los Angeles 1984 Dean Lukin won the gold medal as a super heavyweight and Robert Kabbas won silver as a light heavyweight.
The USSR-led boycott by most of the Eastern Bloc countries removed many of the leading contenders from the weightlifting competition in Los Angeles, particularly in the heavier divisions.
Before the boycott was announced Lukin, a wealthy tuna fisherman from Port Lincoln in South Australia, was considered a chance for a medal but once the boycott came into effect he was elevated to favourite for the gold. Lukin became Olympic champion but only after a thrilling contest with Mario Martinez from the United States. Australia’s fourth weightlifting medal came with Stefan Botev in the super heavyweight category in Atlanta in 1996.
Olympic History
Weightlifting featured in the first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896. The two events in 1896 were the one-handed lift and the two-handed lift and they were open to all competitors regardless of their weight. The sport appeared again at St Louis 1904 (and in the Intercalated Olympics in Athens in 1906) and then at Antwerp 1920 after which it commenced an unbroken run on the Olympic program. Women’s weightlifting was added to the Olympic program in Sydney in 2000.
Current World Records
Click here to access the IOC Current World Records (as at 8 May 2006)
Gold Medal Winners from the Past Three Olympic Games
Click here for a complete document of winners from Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004.
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