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⚽ Sports and games 🏅 The Olympics and athletics

Weightlifting

A powerful weightlifter raises a heavy barbell above his head during a weightlifting event at the Olympic Games.
A powerful weightlifter raises a heavy barbell above his head during a weightlifting event at the Olympic Games.

📖 In short

Weightlifting is a strength sport where the athlete tries to lift an iron bar with heavy discs on each end from the floor to above their head. The winner is whoever lifts the heaviest weight. It's an Olympic sport in which Arab athletes have won many medals.

🤩 Did you know?

  • The winner is the lifter with the biggest total across the two lifts.
  • The colored discs show their different weights.
  • Weightlifters put white powder on their hands so the bar doesn't slip.
  • Athletes from Egypt, Qatar and other countries have won Olympic medals in weightlifting.

🔎 Find out more

🌟 Two lifts

Olympic competitions have two lifts: the snatch, where the athlete lifts the bar from the floor to above their head in one quick movement, and the clean and jerk, where they lift it to their shoulders first and then push it up.

🔍 Weight classes

Athletes compete in classes according to their body weight so the competition is fair, and a light athlete doesn't compete against a very heavy one.

💡 Strength and skill

Weightlifting needs not only strength but also speed, balance and the right technique. That's why athletes train for many years with coaches.

🎯 Not for children

Children shouldn't lift heavy weights because their bones are still growing. But they can do simple bodyweight exercises like jumping and push-ups with a coach.

🧩 Test yourself

1 Why do athletes compete in weight classes?

2 Do children lift heavy weights?

3 Which picture shows “Weightlifting”?

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