Jens Ingemar "Ingo" Johansson was a Swedish professional boxer who competed from 1952 to 1963. He held the world heavyweight title from 1959 to 1960, and was the fifth heavyweight champion born outside the United States. Johansson won the title by defeating Floyd Patterson via third-round stoppage, after flooring him seven times in that round. For this achievement, Johansson was awarded the Hickok Belt as top professional athlete of the year—the only non-American in its entire 27-year first run—and was named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year and Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year.
Sweden competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. 131 competitors, 104 men and 27 women, took part in 90 events in 18 sports.
Tamio "Tommy" Kono was a Japanese American weightlifter in the 1950s and 1960s. Kono set world records in four different weight classes: lightweight, middleweight, light-heavyweight and middle-heavyweight.
Sweden first participated at the Olympic Games at the inaugural 1896 Games, and has sent athletes to compete in every Games since then with one exception, the sparsely attended 1904 Summer Olympics. Sweden has earned medals at all Olympic games except for two, the 1896 Games and the 1904 Games. The only other nation having earned medals at every Olympic game since 1908 is Sweden's neighboring country Finland.
Mahmoud Namjoo was an Iranian bantamweight weightlifter. He competed at the 1948, 1952 and 1956 Olympics and placed fifth, second and third, respectively. At the world championships he won three gold, one silver and two bronze medals between 1949 and 1957, becoming the first Iranian weightlifter to win a world title. Namjoo was also the first Asian weightlifter to set a world record; during his career he set four: one in clean and jerk in 1949 and three in the total, in 1948, 1949 and 1951.
Yuri Norayrovich Vardanyan was a Soviet Armenian weightlifter. Vardanyan won a gold medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics, becoming the world's first weightlifter to achieve a 400 kilogram total in the 82.5 kg weight category. During his career he set several world records. He trained at Lokomotiv in Leninakan, Armenia. He earned the title Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR in 1977 and was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1985. In 1994 he was elected a member of the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame.
Blagoy Blagoev is a retired Bulgarian weightlifter. Between 1976 and 1984 he claimed seven gold and five silver medals at the Summer Olympics and World and European championships. He set 18 world records. 13 of them were in the snatch. His last snatch world record was 195.5 kg in the 90 kg weight class, set on 1 May 1983 in Varna and remains the heaviest weight ever snatched by a middle heavyweight. Blagoev was twice declared the Best Weightlifter in the World by the International Weightlifting Federation - in 1982 and 1983. Blagoev was named Sportsperson of the Year in Bulgaria for 1982.
Sweden competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, Netherlands. 100 competitors, 87 men and 13 women, took part in 66 events in 11 sports.
Sweden competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. 206 competitors, 183 men and 23 women, took part in 124 events in 17 sports.
Sweden competed at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England. 181 competitors, 162 men and 19 women, took part in 100 events in 18 sports.
Carl Hjalmar August Johansson was a Swedish pioneer diver and swimmer who competed at the 1908 and 1912 Summer Olympics.
Vladimir Semyonovich Golovanov was a Russian weightlifter who won a gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Between 1963 and 1968 he set five official world records, all in the press.
Louis George Martin was a British middle-heavyweight weightlifter.
Dandamudi Rajagopal Rao was an Indian weightlifter, bodybuilder, actor, sports administrator and coach. He won a bronze medal in the 1951 Asian Games in men's heavyweight (+90 kg) weightlifting.
Valentin Hristov is a retired Bulgarian heavyweight weightlifter. He is best known for being the first weightlifter to be disqualified from the modern Olympic Games for doping after anabolic steroid testing was introduced at the 1976 Games. He later went on to claim the silver at the 1980 Olympics. Hristov won the world and European titles in 1975 and 1977 and placed second in 1979. In 1975–76 he set nine ratified world records: three in the snatch, four in the clean and jerk and two in the total.
Weightlifting was introduced to Armenia in the late 1920s and became widely practiced after World War II. Today, it is one of the country's most popular sports. The sport is regulated by the Armenian Weightlifting Federation. The first weightlifters from Soviet Armenia made successful appearances the international stage in the 1970s. Vardan Militosyan won a silver at the 1976 Olympics, and later Yurik Vardanyan became an Olympic, World and European champion through the late 1970s and the early 1980s. Oksen Mirzoyan and Yurik Sarkisyan rose to top positions in the 1980s. After its independence from the Soviet Union, Armenia successfully held its weightlifting traditions and continues to be one of the strongest nations in Europe. In 2008, the Armenia team placed first at the European Championship. In the 2008 Summer Olympics Armenia won three bronze medals. Tigran Gevorg Martirosyan is Armenia's only world champion with his successful appearance in 2010.
Andrew John Callard is a British male weightlifter.
Kiril Kounev is a Bulgarian born Australian male weightlifter, competing in the 94 kg category and representing Australia at international competitions. He participated at the 1996 Summer Olympics in the 83 kg event and at the 2000 Summer Olympics in the 94 kg event. He competed at world championships, most recently at the 1999 World Weightlifting Championships.
Alberto Blanco Fernández is a Cuban weightlifter. He competed in the middle heavyweight and First heavyweight class, representing Cuba at international competitions. He won the bronze medal at the 1977, 1979 and 1980 World Weightlifting Championships. He won the bronze medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics in the 100 kg event. He also participated at the 1976 Summer Olympics. He won the gold medal at the 1979 Pan American Games in the Sub-Heavyweight class.
Folke Klas-Ove Johansson is a Swedish heavyweight weightlifter who competed at the 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympics. He failed in the clean and press in 1968, and finished ninth in 1972.
