Olympic weightlifting, or Olympic-style weightlifting, is a sport in which athletes compete in lifting a barbell loaded with weight plates from the ground to overhead, with each athlete vying to successfully lift the heaviest weights. Athletes compete in two specific ways of lifting the barbell overhead: these are the snatch and the clean and jerk. The snatch is a wide-grip lift, in which the weighted barbell is lifted overhead in one motion. The clean and jerk is a combination lift, in which the weight is first taken from the ground to the front of the shoulders, and then from the shoulders to overhead. The clean and press, wherein a clean was followed by an overhead press, was formerly also a competition lift, but was discontinued due to difficulties in judging proper form.
The clean and jerk is a composite of two weightlifting movements, most often performed with a barbell: the clean and the jerk. During the clean, the lifter moves the barbell from the floor to a racked position across the deltoids, without resting fully on the clavicles. During the jerk, the lifter raises the barbell to a stationary position above the head, finishing with straight arms and legs, and the feet in the same plane as the torso and barbell.
The snatch is the first of two lifts contested in the sport of weightlifting followed by the clean and jerk. The objective of the snatch is to lift the barbell from the ground to overhead in one continuous motion. There are four main styles of snatch used: snatch, split snatch, power snatch, and muscle snatch. The full lift is the most common style used in competition, while power snatches and muscle snatches are mostly used for training purposes, and split snatches are rarely used. Any of these lifts can be performed from the floor, from the hang position, or from blocks. In competition, only lifts from the floor are allowed.
Weightlifting has been contested at every Summer Olympic Games since the 1920 Summer Olympics, as well as twice before then. It debuted at the 1896 Summer Olympics, in Athens, Greece, and was also an event at the 1904 Games.
Lü Xiaojun is a Chinese weightlifter. He is a three time Olympic champion and five time world champion competing in the 77 kg category until 2018 and 81 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories.
Shi Zhiyong is a Chinese weightlifter, two time Olympic Champion, three time World Champion and four time Asian Champion competing in the 69 kg category until 2018 and 73 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories.
Lasha Talakhadze is a Georgian weightlifter, holding the all-time world records regardless of weight category in the snatch, the clean and jerk and the total since 2021.
This is the list of world records progression in men's weightlifting. Records are maintained in each weight class for the snatch lift, clean and jerk lift, and the total for both lifts.
This is the list of world records progression in women's weightlifting. Records are maintained in each weight class for the snatch lift, clean and jerk lift, and the total for both lifts.
This is a list of world records progression in men's weightlifting from 1998 to 2018. These records are maintained in each weight class for the snatch lift, clean and jerk lift, and the total for both lifts.
This is a list of world records progression in women's weightlifting from 1998 and 2018. These records are maintained in each weight class for the snatch lift, clean and jerk lift, and the total for both lifts.
This is the list of world records progression in men's weightlifting from 1993 and 1997. Records are maintained in each weight class for the snatch lift, clean and jerk lift, and the total for both lifts. The International Weightlifting Federation restructured its weight classes in 1993, nullifying earlier records and again in 1998 and 2018.
Apia, Samoa
Houston, United States