Weightlifting
SPORTSHEAVIEST WEIGHTLIFTING
56 KG TOTAL (MALE)
Long Qingquan (CHN) lifted 307 kg (676 lb
13.10 oz) at Rio 2016 on 7 Aug. Aided by a 170-kg
(374-lb 12.57-oz) lift with his last attempt in the
clean & jerk, he won gold with a total score higher
than Halil Mutlu’s (TUR) existing record of 305 kg
(672 lb 6.55 oz), set at Sydney 2000.After winning gold at Rio 2016, Óscar Figueroa (COL) left his
shoes upon the mat as a way of announcing his retirement.Heaviest weightlifting 77 kg snatch (male)
Lü Xiaojun (CHN) lifted 177 kg (390 lb 3.49 oz) at
the Rio Olympics on 10 Aug 2016. Unfortunately,
even this wasn’t enough for Lü to win overall
gold. He finished with a silver medal behind Nijat
Rahimov (KAZ), who achieved the heaviest
weightlifting 77 kg clean & jerk with his lift
of 214 kg (471 lb 12.62 oz). Rahimov eclipsed the
previous record of 210 kg (462 lb 15.52 oz), set
in 2001 by Russian Oleg Perepetchenov.Heaviest weightlifting
+105 kg snatch (male)
Behdad “Salimi” Salimikordasiabi (IRN) lifted
216 kg (476 lb 3.17 oz) at the Rio Olympics
on 16 Aug 2016. However, triumph turned
to heartbreak for Salimi in the final of the
+105 kg clean & jerk. All three of his attempts
were ruled invalid by the judges, leaving
the Iranian weightlifter without a score and
therefore removing any hope of a medal in
the overall category.Heaviest weightlifting +105 kg total (male)
In an event filled with drama and record-
breaking lifts (see above), Lasha Talakhadze
(GEO) posted a combined total of 473 kg (1,042 lb
12.64 oz). He lifted 215 kg (473 lb 15.9 oz) in the
snatch and 258 kg (568 lb 12.68 oz) in the clean
& jerk. Talakhadze took the gold medal ahead
of Gor Minasyan (ARM)
and compatriot Irakli
Turmandize (GEO).
The previous
best at +105 kg
was 472.5 kg
(1,041 lb 10.94 oz),
achieved by Hossein
Rezazadeh (IRN). The
Iranian still holds the
record for the heaviest weightlifting +105 kg
clean & jerk, with 263.5 kg (580 lb 14.69 oz)
set at the Athens Olympics on 25 Aug 2004.HEAVIEST WEIGHT SQUAT-LIFTED
(MALE, UNASSISTED)
On 16 Oct 2016, Ray Williams (USA) squat-lifted
456 kg (1,005 lb 4.92 oz) at the USA Powerlifting
Raw Nationals in Atlanta, Georgia. This was the
first 1,000-lb “raw” squat – Williams didn’t wear a
“squat suit” or knee wraps, merely a weightlifting
belt and knee sleeves. He attributes his strength
to a diet of “cornbread and buttermilk”.Heaviest weight squat-lifted
(female, assisted)
On 8 Jul 2016, Samantha Coleman (USA) squat-
lifted 661 lb (299.82 kg) at a United Powerlifting
Association-sanctioned event in Rosemount,
Minnesota, USA. She also bench-pressed 391 lb
(177.35 kg) on the same day. Coleman is one of
only a handful of women to have deadlifted more
than 600 lb (272.15 kg). She wears a tiara while
lifting to symbolize the “beauty in strength”.
HEAVIEST WEIGHTLIFTING
63 KG TOTAL (FEMALE)
Deng Wei (CHN) enjoyed a dream
Olympic debut at Rio 2016. On
9 Aug, she achieved the
heaviest weightlifting
63 kg clean & jerk with
147 kg (324 lb 1.27 oz).
With a snatch of 115 kg,
Deng posted a total of
262 kg (577 lb 9.77 oz)- earning her both a
gold medal and two
world records.
Heaviest Paralympic powerlift
(+107 kg, male)
In the heaviest weightlifting category at the
2016 Rio Paralympics, Iran’s Siamand Rahman
bench-pressed 310 kg (683 lb 6.92 oz) on 14 Sep.
The lightest weight category was won by
Nazmiye Muratlı (TUR) on 8 Sep 2016. Her lift
of 104 kg (229 lb 4.49 oz) was the heaviest
Paralympic powerlift (-41 kg, female).Most wins of the Arnold Strongman Classic
On 4–5 Mar 2016, Žydrūnas Savickas (LTU) won
the Arnold Strongman Classic. It was his eighth
title, following previous victories in 2003–08
and 2014. The Arnold Strongman Classic is an
offshoot of the Arnold Sports Festival, originally
a bodybuilding competition named after its
co-creator Arnold Schwarzenegger.HEAVIEST WEIGHTLIFTING
85 KG TOTAL (MALE)
On 12 Aug 2016, Kianoush Rostami
(IRN) lifted 396 kg (873 lb 0.49 oz)
to win the gold medal in the 85 kg
category at Rio 2016. He lifted 217 kg
(478 lb 6.44 oz) in the clean & jerk,
and achieved a 179-kg (394-lb 10-oz)
snatch, breaking his own combined
world record by 1 kg (2 lb 3.27 oz).Olympic
weightlifting
events comprise
two disciplines. The
“snatch” is a barbell
lift with one continuous
motion; in the “clean &
jerk”, the lifter pauses
in a squat position
before standing.