Weightlifting
Although weightlifting is considered to be a classic sport, it is relatively young: the first unofficial World Championships were held in London in 1891.
Weightlifting is a sport which currently includes two methods of lifting:
- snatch, where the bar is lifted from the ground to overhead in one continuous motion;
- clean and jerk, where the bar is first lifted on the chest and then pushed overhead.
The body weight categories for men are the following: up to 56 kg, up to 62 kg, up to 69 kg, up to 77 kg, up to 85 kg, up to 94 kg, up to 105 kg and over 105 kg.
The body weight categories for women are the following: up to 48 kg, up to 53 kg, up to 58 kg, up to 63 kg, up to 69 kg, up to 75 kg and over 75 kg.
A lift is considered to be completed when the competitor performs the lift without errors (without a re-lift) and fixates the bar with erect and parallel legs. The referee will give a signal for the competitor to lower the bar. The correctness of the lift is assessed by three referees and a jury. If the three-member jury is unanimous, the fate of the lift is decided by the jury. The athlete is allowed three attempts using both methods. The athlete is given 1 minute to perform the lift, in case of two consecutive attempts, 2 minutes are given. The competition begins with the initial weight requested during the weighing procedure beforehand and this can be changed three times before beginning the attempt. The minimum step of changing the weight is 1 kg. To determine the final result, the best result achieved by the athlete with both methods is summed up.
In absolute ranking, the competitors are ranked according to the total sum of Sinclair points, which are calculated on the basis of both the final total sum of the athlete’s total results in kilograms and the competitor’s bodyweight. Sinclair points make it possible to determine who of the competitors is the strongest in relation to their bodyweight.
The whole competition takes place on a floor with measurements of 4.0 x 4.0 m. The barbell used at competitions weighs 20 kg for men and 15 kg for women. At international competitions, the floor is placed on a stage with measurements of 10 x 10 m.
Generally, weightlifting is considered to be the foundation of all sports and weightlifting trainings enable one to develop the general fitness of the whole body: strength, speed, strength resistance, explosive jumping ability etc.