Posted on 08/26/2004 8:52:51 AM PDT by Mr. Mojo
Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - Hossein Reza Zadeh of Iran repeated as the gold medal winner in the men's super heavyweight division Wednesday night. It was the final evening of weightlifting competition at the Athens Games.
Reza Zadeh came into the competition already recognized as the world's strongest man after capturing the gold medal in the 2000 Olympics. He set a world record in those Games with a lifted weight of 472.5kg, but matched that total Wednesday night.
"If I am healthy, I will go onto lift 500kg," proclaimed Reza Zadeh following his gold medal performance in which he set a world record in the clean and jerk with 263.5kg.
Viktors Scerbatihs of Latvia won the silver medal with a total of 455kg, while Velichko Cholakov of Bulgaria was third with a mark of 447.5kg.
German veteran Ronny Weller, competing in a record fifth Olympic Games, retired with a shoulder injury after his second attempt in snatch. The injury denied him of the chance of being the first weightlifter to win five consecutive Olympic medals.
American Shane Hamman was seventh. Hamman set a new American record in the clean and jerk of 237.5 kg and a record for highest total ever by an American of 430kg. He lifted 192.5 in the snatch.
"I had a medal on mind, so I was a little disappointed in the snatch," Hamman said. "I have a lot more in me. My technique was not in line tonight. The lift felt a little sloppy. I had a great clean and jerk and I am happy to have done a personal best and set a new American record. I tried going for 240kg on the third lift but I was out front about four inches and had to drop the bar."
WOW! It wasn't very long ago that a clean and Jerk of 500 was thought to be impossible. Then after Alexiev(sp) did it 3 more did it within a year, or something like that. I can't believe we are this close to a human doing 600 libs!
I think there is some question whether or not these guys are really human.
Yeah, it looks like this Iranian dude is going to lift 600 before he retires.
"loudly invoking some Islamic prophet (although not Mohammad) "
You understood him?
I watched and the commentators were ga-ga over his religious fervor.
I can just imagine the stink if one of ours had shouted out "G-d Bless America," "Hail Mary Full of Grace" or "Am Yisrael Chai."
lol....no. I was informed by the commentators. .
Check on "House of Strength" (or a similar phrase) and "Iran" in a search engine. Supposedly these have rather long tradition; even pre-Zarathrustraian is sometimes claimed.
You may have seen the "Iron Sheik" (a former Iranian weight lifter but made more money as a "professional wrestler") do the thing where he takes a 70lb weight in each hand and twirls them over his head; then challenges the audience to do the same.
No kidding. An American or an Israeli would've been raked over the coals for something like that.
I also found out last night that the bands playing "The Star Spangled Banner" during the medal ceremonies were told to de-emphasize (by playing softly) the "and the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air" part. ......So much so, in fact, that many in the crowd thought the anthem was over.
So is this the event where he lifted the President over his head followed by his opponent?
< / lighthearted moment>
In any event, that is a phenomenal achievement.

I dunno. This guy just doesn't turn me on like Gal Fridman and Alexei Nemov.

However, this is the Olympics...watch for the next Summer Olympics to change the event...now we'll have "synchronized weight lifting" with more points awarded for style and outfit than for weight lifted. After all, we don't want all the little people to feel bad about themselves, now do we??? HHHhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmMMMM??
"I also found out last night that the bands playing "The Star Spangled Banner" during the medal ceremonies were told to de-emphasize (by playing softly) the "and the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air" part. ......So much so, in fact, that many in the crowd thought the anthem was over.'
I noticed that also; I thought it was a recording. Be interesting to find out who did the arrangement. I'll bet we find him hooked up with some "artistes for pee" group [sic].
I saw it, but came in in the middle and didn't know where the guy was from. Iran, eh? </Monty Burns> The crowd seemed to love him.
For some reason, I was more excited about the little guy from Morocco running the 1500 meter the other night. Now that was a competition!
On these records.. Do they put in a Latitude correction? Gravity is stronger at the pole than at the equator.
Gal Fridman looks like a younger and fitter Jerry Seinfeld.
Are we sure we want to go to war against these guys? A couple of them together could tip over a Humvee. Thirty of them could run out and tip over an Abrams tank.
I don't think they do any corrections. The Mexico City venue had thinner air and less gravity due to elevation, but all they did was measure windspeed to make sure it was below a certain value for the track and field events.
I've heard it played and sung that way many, many times. Not just at the Olympics. In that arrangement the volume starts to pick up at "...that our flag was still there" and grows loudest at "O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave !"
I've always liked that volume change, as it put the emphasis where it belongs.
Think how much he could have lifted if he had used his hands.
imho, the added minor chord(s) as the pianissimo begins in that section is uncalled for, and is not balanced out by the later forte.
I am no expert, but imho this styling with the chords within this section was done to "sadden" that section.
Typical
And your point is?
Obvious
I don't know what your problem is.
Afaik, we share an interest in neutralizing the mullahs and the nuclear danger from Iran.
You rarely seem to be at a loss for words, so unless you think everyone else here has your talent for reading minds through the internet, your terse and ambivalent rejoinders are boring.
Either clearly explain yourself, apologize if you misunderstood my posting(s) or kindly stop trolling me.
Clearly, I dont know you. But I wont have to be a genius to read the threads title and read some of the comments and comment typical and have you wondering what I meant. The fact that we have a common goal does not compel me in the slightest bit to withhold my opinion on a highjacking of a topic in progress that I believe is anti evolutionary to our common goal. The apology and the trolling thing, impress me with your brilliance in the thought process that resulted in your comment, and I will.
People of Iran have very little joy in their life. There has been many victories that were denied to them in sports because the mullahs makeup of life is misery and pain. The entire concept of the Shiite religion in the pain and suffering of the Profit Muhammads first disciple, imam Ali. For a while the Irans world cup soccer team was practicing in the streets just like the kids with the passion for that sport due to no funding for national pride. A little sense of identity in a single gold medal balances the mockery of the mullahs and their $1000.00 per gold medal reward. Few instigations of Persian pride such as this gold, mixed with the certain insult to all their regime-inflicted injuries could ripen the internal chaos developing against the mullahs. World strongest man is a humble Persian. May this bring joy and pride for the humbled people of Iran and you rise and reclaim your historic peace loving identity.
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