Weightlifting

Australian Team Profile

Weightlifting was contested at the first Modern Olympics in Athens more than a century ago.

The two events in 1896 were the one-handed lift and the two-handed lift. No weight restrictions were enforced.

Women's weightlifting was added to the program in Sydney some 104 years on.

At the Games there will be 15 weight classes contested across men and women.

Australia will send Damon Kelly and Deborah Lovely to compete in the event after qualifying two of the maximum 10 athletes each country is permitted.

Lovely will become the first female weightlifter to represent Australia at two Olympic Games.

Kelly will contest the super heavyweight division and is aiming to replicate the efforts of gold medal winner in weightlifting, Dean Lukin.

Gold has not been won by an Australian since Lukin in Los Angeles.

Australia sent its first weightlifters to London in 1948.

Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics Gymnasium will host the 2008 Olympic weightlifting competition.

Previous Australian Medalists:

Gold:
Dean Lukin (1984) - Super heavyweight

Silver:
Robert Kabbas (1984) - Light heavyweight (82.5kg)

Bronze:
Verdi Barberis (1952) - Lightweight
Stefan Botev (1996) - Super heavyweight (>108kg)

Australian Olympic Weightlifting Team
Damon Kelly (+105kg)
Deborah Lovely (+75kg)