Weightlifting is a sport in which athletes compete in lifting a barbell loaded with weight plates from the ground to overhead, with the aim of successfully lifting the heaviest weights. Athletes compete in two specific ways of lifting the barbell overhead. 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 over the head.
Vasily Ivanovich Alekseyev was a Soviet weightlifter. He set 80 world-records and 81 Soviet records in weightlifting and won Olympic gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 games.
Andrei Rybakou is a former Belarusian weightlifter, Olympian and two-time World Champion who competed in the 85 kg category. In 2016, after a retest of his 2008 samples tested positive for Dehydrochloromethyl-testosterone and Stanozolol his performance at the 2008 Olympic Games was disqualified, as well as his Olympic record and World record set during the competition. He was also ordered to return his silver medal.
Yurik Sarkisyan is a former Soviet Armenian weightlifter. He was awarded the Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR title in 1982. In 2007, Yurik Sarkisyan included into the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame weightlifting.
Stefan Khristov Botev is an Olympic weightlifter who represented Bulgaria and later for Australia. He was coached by Ivan Abadzhiev. Botev is a two-time world and European champion, winner of the World Cup in 1988 and was voted as Bulgaria's Sportsperson of the Year in 1990. Stefan is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist - once for Bulgaria in 1992 and once for Australia in 1996. Botev is a three-time gold medalist from the Goodwill Games in Seattle in 1990.
Mohammad Nasiri Seresht is a retired Iranian weightlifter. He competed at the 1964, 1968, 1972 and 1976 Olympics and won a gold, a silver and a bronze medal. He also won gold medals at the Asian Games in 1966, 1970 and 1974 and at the world championships in 1968-70 and 1973–74, placing second in 1972 and third in 1966, 1971 and 1976. Between 1966 and 1973 he set 15 ratified world records: 10 in clean and jerk, 3 in the press and 2 in the total. In 1995 he was inducted into the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame.
Ilya Aleksandrovich Ilyin is a retired Kazakhstani weightlifter who won four world championships. On 12 December, 2015 at the President's Cup in Grozny, Russia, Ilyin set two world records in the −105 kg class. He lifted 246 kg in the clean and jerk and 437 kg in the total. Ilyin was named IWF World Weightlifter of the Year four times: in 2005, 2006, 2014, and 2015.
The World Weightlifting Championships is an international weightlifting competition, currently held annually by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF). The predecessor organization of the IWF was founded in 1905, but World Championship events began before its foundation. The first recognized World Championship event was held in 1891, and was won by Edward Lawrence Levy of England.
Aylin Daşdelen is a European champion Turkish female weightlifter competing in the Women's 53 kg and 58 kg divisions. At the championships held 2003 in Loutraki, Greece, she broke three European records, in snatch, clean&jerk and in total weight lifted of the -58 kg division.
Semih Yağcı is a Turkish weightlifter competing in the –77 kg division.
Seen Lee is an Australian weightlifter. She won a bronze medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and a silver at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. She represented Australia in weightlifting at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
İbrahim Arat is a Turkish weightlifter competing in the –94 kg division. The 1.79 m tall athlete is a member of İzmir Büyükşehir Belediyespor in his hometown, where he is coached by Mücahit Yağcı and Selim Savaş.
Om Yun-chol or Um Yoon-chul is a North Korean weightlifter, Olympic Champion, and five time World Champion competing in the 56 kg category until 2018 and 55 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories. He is 152 centimetres and weighs 55 kilograms (121 lb). Om represents the Amnokgang Sports Team.
Mohamed Ehab Youssef Ahmed Mahmoud, known as Mohamed Mahmoud or Mohamed Ehab, is an Egyptian weightlifter, and World Champion competing in the 77 kg category until 2018 and 81 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories.
Simon Martirosyan is an Armenian weightlifter, Olympian, two time World Champion, and two time European Champion competing in the 105 kg category until 2018 and 109 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories.
Plamen Jelyazkov is a Bulgarian male weightlifter, competing in the 77 kg category and representing Bulgaria at international competitions. He participated at the 1996 Summer Olympics in the 70 kg event. He competed at world championships, most recently at the 2003 World Weightlifting Championships.
Mehmet Yılmaz is a Turkish male weightlifter, competing in the 77 kg category and representing Turkey at international competitions. He participated at the 1996 Summer Olympics in the 76 kg event and at the 2000 Summer Olympics in the 77 kg event. He competed at world championships, most recently at the 2003 World Weightlifting Championships.
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.
Igor Alekseyev is a Russian male former weightlifter, who competed in the middle heavyweight class and represented Russia at international competitions. He later emigrated to Australia and competed for them after 1994.. He won the gold medal at the 1995 World Weightlifting Championships in the 91 kg category. He participated at the 1996 Summer Olympics in the 91 kg event.
Brandon Dean Wakeling is an Australian weightlifter. He won the gold medal in the men's 73 kg event at the 2019 Pacific Games held in Apia, Samoa. He represented Australia at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. He also represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and 2022.
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