Weightlifting
In weightlifting, each competitor has three attempts at the snatch (where the bar is lifted above the head in one movement) and the clean and jerk (where the bar is lifted to the chest while the lifter drops into a squat, then raised above the head as the lifter splits the legs and stands). The best lifts in each category are then combined into a total weight.
Men
Russia will be formidable with 180-kg policeman Andrei Chemerkin in the 105+ kg. With multiple world championships and the Atlanta super-heavyweight Olympic gold, Chemerkin rightly lays claim to the title of world's strongest man. But, lifting close to three times his body weight, Turkey's "Pocket Hercules," Naim Suleymanoglu (62 kg) is the most successful Olympic weightlifter ever, with three straight gold medals and looking for a fourth in Sydney.
Defending Olympic champion Pyrros Dimas (85 kg) is Greece's best hope for gold.
Women
The Chinese women have dominated since the inclusion of the female competition at the 1987 world championships, and could win gold in all four events they've entered. Stars like Ding Meiyuan (75+ kg) are seen as almost unbeatable. Lifters from Chinese Taipei and Bulgaria loom as the main challengers.
WHEN TO WATCH
Men
- 62kg Sept. 17
- 85kg sept. 23
- 105+kg Sept. 27
Women
- 75+kg Sept. 22
JUMP TO: