I dunno. This guy just doesn't turn me on like Gal Fridman and Alexei Nemov.
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.
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 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.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.