Weightlifting: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Features

Before the start of the 2025 IWF World Youth and Junior Championships, taking place in Lima (PER) from April 30 to May 5, the Pan-American Weightlifting Federation (PAWF) hosted today a “Good Governance Seminar”, with three main topics on the agenda: Good Practices, Female Leadership and Clean Sport.

Weightlifting News / IWF.net / April 29

IWF120y/78 – 1984: Norberto Oberburger, the last Italian Olympic champion

Lifters from Italy were quite successful at the Olympic level in the 1920s, when four of them earned gold at the Games – Filippo Bottino, in 1920, Pierino Gabetti, Carlo Galimberti, and Giuseppe Tonani, all in 1924.

Weightlifting News / IWF.net / April 27

IWF120y/76 – 2005: Adoption of the 1kg-increment rule

Traditionally, the rules of weightlifting stipulated that the minimum increase of weight in a bar between two lifts should be of 2.5kg. This meant that whenever an athlete was successfully lifting for example a bar of 150kg, his/her next attempt should be at least 152.5kg.

Weightlifting News / IWF.net / April 26

IWF120y/75 – 2000: Nikolay Peshalov clinches sole Olympic gold so far for Croatia

Nikolay Peshalov is one of the very few lifters to have won four Olympic medals throughout a very accomplished career! Born in Bulgaria in 1970, he represented his country until 1998, then switching to Croatia.

Weightlifting News / IWF.net / April 25

IWF120y/74 – 1972: Olympic title crowns a superb career for Imre Foldi (HUN)

Born in May 1938, Imre Foldi had a challenging childhood and teenage years, but became the greatest-ever Hungarian weightlifter and arguably one of the best in our sports’ history.

Weightlifting News / IWF.net / April 24

IWF120y/73 – 2000: Tara Nott (USA), the first female lifter with Olympic gold

On September 17, 2000 the weightlifting family was in a celebratory mode at the Sydney Olympics. On that day, after more than 100 years only with male participation, the Games presented the first-ever female competition, the women’s 48kg category.

Weightlifting News / IWF.net / April 24

Khaled Mehalhel re-elected president of the Weightlifting Federation of Africa

The Weightlifting Federation of Africa (WFA) held its electoral congress on April 22, 2025 in Mauritius and unanimously re-elected Mr Khaled Mehalhel for a new term until 2029.

Weightlifting News / IWF.net / April 24

Khaled Mehalel re-elected president of the Weightlifting Federation of Africa

The Weightlifting Federation of Africa (WFA) held its electoral congress on April 22, 2025 in Mauritius and unanimously re-elected Mr Khaled Mehalel for a new term until 2029.

Weightlifting News / IWF.net / April 24

European Championships: More records for Nasar, Koanda is top female and Iceland has its first winner

Olympic champions Karlos Nasar and Solfrid Koanda were the top individual performers at the 2025 European Championships in Chishinau, Moldova which finished this week.

Weightlifting News / IWF.net / April 22

IWF120y/71 – 1964: Waldemar Baszanowski, a reference in Polish weightlifting

Before arriving in Tokyo, for his second Olympic participation in 1964, Waldemar Baszanowski was already a distinguished athlete in Poland. After winning

Weightlifting News / IWF.net / April 21

IWF120y/70 – 2024: Solfrid Koanda (NOR) is the last one to know she won gold

It is certainly one of the funniest and most remembered images of the weightlifting competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: in the women’s 81kg, Solfrid

Weightlifting News / IWF.net / April 20

IWF120y/69 – 1968: Serge Reding earns last Olympic medal for Belgium

1920 is an important date, both for the Olympic Movement and for the IWF. After the horror of World War I (leading to the cancellation of the 1916 edition), the Games were staged in Antwerp.

Weightlifting News / IWF.net / April 19

IWF120y/68 – 2004: Halil Mutlu (TUR) enters a very ‘exclusive’ club

After winning his third consecutive gold medal at the Games, Halil Mutlu (TUR) entered in 2004 in the very “exclusive” club of the lifters with three Olympic titles.

Weightlifting News / IWF.net / April 18

IWF120y/67 – 1948: Lifters from the five continents are represented at the Olympics

The presence of weightlifting at the Games reflects the evolution of the sport in the five continents, the status of our International Federation in the Olympic Movement, and is even determined by the location of the biggest sports event on the planet.

Weightlifting News / IWF.net / April 17

IWF120y/66 – 2016: Oscar Figueroa, the shiniest Colombian star

It is normally a feat associated with strong countries in the Olympic arena, those winning many dozens of medals in a single edition of the Games: to place two of their athletes on the podium within a difference of hours.

Weightlifting News / IWF.net / April 16

IWF120y/65 – 1972: Norair Nurikian, the first Bulgarian golden lifter

The first day of the 1972 Munich Olympic Games was on and among the weightlifters it was the moment of the weigh-in for the initial category (men’s 60kg) of the competition, to be held the following day.

Weightlifting News / IWF.net / April 15

IWF120y/64 – 2021: Hidilyn Diaz makes history for the Philippines

Her tiny morphology (she is 1.58m high) hides a strong woman and a hero in the Philippines: Hidilyn Diaz. Initiated in the sport of weightlifting almost

Weightlifting News / IWF.net / April 14

Lima 2025: Verification of Final Entries closes on April 16

National Federations (NF) are kindly reminded that the deadline for Verification of Final Entries for the 2025 IWF World Youth & Junior Championships to be held in Lima (PER) is April 16, 2025 (Wednesday), at 12h00/Noon, CET .

Weightlifting News / IWF.net / April 14

IWF120y/63 – 1983: Start of a successful story for ZKC

In northern China, in the Hebei province, the city of Botou has about 300,000 inhabitants, a small town according to the country’s standards. But for the weightlifting world, it assumes a special importance: since 1983, the barbell equipment ZKC has been produced there and has become a major partner of the IWF throughout the years.

Weightlifting News / IWF.net / April 13

IWF120y/62 – 1981: Re-setting milestones in the IWF history

In May 1980, while the Olympic world was busy, trying to minimise the impact of the boycott on the Moscow Games, the IWF celebrated in Montreal (CAN) the “100 Years of Modern Weightlifting” and the “60 Years of the International Weightlifting Federation”.

Weightlifting News / IWF.net / April 13

Astrit Hasani is new President of EWF

Astrit Hasani from Kosovo is the new President of the European Weightlifting Federation. In a head-to-head between two candidates, Hasani polled 24 votes against 19 for the incumbent Italian Antonio Conflitti from Moldova.

Weightlifting News / IWF.net / April 12

IWF120y/61 – 2007: Olympian Marcus Stephen becomes President of Nauru

It is not uncommon to see successful weightlifters reaching, upon their retirement, high positions in the sports administration (Federation or Olympic Committee) of their respective countries.

Olympics News / Field Level Media / August 12

China's Wenwen Li dominant in women's over 81kg weightlifting

PARIS -- China's Wenwen Li won her second Olympic gold medal with a dominant performance to take the title in the women's over 81kg weightlifting at the Summer Games on Sunday.

Olympics News / Yardbarker / August 8

Team USA weightlifter trained in a garage to win Olympic medal

On Wednesday, Hampton Morris became the first American male to win an Olympic medal in weightlifting in 40 years. And he did so while training in a garage at his family's Georgia home.

Olympics Day 13 briefing: Men's water-polo drama, U.S. runner's late surge and ice-skating medals?

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Olympics News / Field Level Media / August 7

China's Li Fabin defends Olympic gold; Hampton Morris takes bronze

PARIS -- China's Li Fabin retained the 61kg Olympic weightlifting title with a dominant performance and total lift of 310kg at the Paris Games on Wednesday, coming up just short in a bid to break his own world record.