Weightlifting was popular in ancient Greece and Egypt but did not feature in the ancient Olympics. The sport was included in the first modern Games in Athens in 1896, when there were no restrictions on the weight of competitors and separate events were held for one-handed and two-handed lifting. The first world weightlifting championships had taken place five years earlier. Weightlifting with different categories began at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp. Women's events were introduced in Sydney in 2000. The sport has been the worst affected by doping and after the 1992 Barcelona Games the International Weightlifting Federation changed all the weight categories, wiping out all the world records and allowing the sport to start afresh.
Eight weight classes for men, seven for women. Competitors must lift in two categories ? first snatch, then clean and jerk ? and the two lifts are put together to determine the final placement. Each competitor can have three attempts at each category. In the snatch, the competitor lifts the bar overhead in a single movement. In the clean and jerk, the weight is raised to shoulder level in one movement, then lifted overhead in a second movement.
Total of 260 athletes ? 170 men, 90 women.
Aug. 9 ? women's 48kg Aug. 10 ? women's 53, men's 56 Aug. 11 ? women's 58, men's 62 Aug. 12 ? women's 63, men's 69 Aug. 13 ? women's 69, men's 77 Aug. 15 ? women's' 75, men's 85 Aug. 16 ? women's 75+ Aug. 17 ? men's 94 Aug. 18 ? men's 105 Aug. 19 ? men's 105+
Men: 56kg: Halil Mutlu (Turkey) 62kg: Shi Zhiyong (China) 69kg: Zhang Guozheng (China) 77kg: Taner Sagir (Turkey) 85kg: George Asanidze (Georgia) 94kg: Milen Dobrev (Bulgaria) 105kg: Dmitry Berestov (Russia) Over 105kg: Hossein Reza Zadeh (Iran) Women 48kg: Nurcan Taylan (Turkey) 53kg: Udomporn Polsak (Thailand) 58kg: Chen Yanqing (China) 63kg: Nataliya Skakun (Ukraine) 69kg: Liu Chunhong (China) 75kg: Pawina Thongsuk (Thailand) Over 75kg: Tang Gonghong (China)
Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics Gymnasium *Reuters