Olympics games are not just glorified events for games and champions, but are a commemoration of the indomitable human spirit that strives to compete against the very nature itself. Outdoing themselves and standing tall after beating all the odds, such is the fire that forges an Olympian. Amongst the rest of the Olympic events, Olympic weightlifting is a game that truly places a sportsman next to the fabled Olympian titan.
Olympic lifting is a sport that unlike its appearance does not rely on brute strength. On the contrary, this event focuses on the concentration and balance of the lifter by utilizing the strength of the core. An athlete preparing for this grand event does not necessarily have to be massive or densely built; instead he should be a combination of both agility and strength.
Dominated for ages by men, the sport has finally opened its doors to the female athletes. This in return has given female weight lifters an opportunity to prove the world that they can muster focus and strength equal to their male counterparts if provided a chance. Female lifters carry out the techniques of the sport just like men but are restricted to the use of certain weight limit which in men is set till their strength lasts.
However, the sport is not to be mixed with other forms of power lifting where the goal it just to lift the weight no matter how. Instead, this form of weightlifting entails the athlete to muster and unleash the latent ballistic (explosive) strength in a systematic and controlled manner. That is why Olympic lifting embodies proper range of motion, better and safer execution that not only looks graceful but prevents injuries as well.
To provide variation into the sport and the judge the athlete on every possible range of motion, the event has two categories. The competing athlete has to perform both techniques of weightlifting in order to qualify. The end of successful execution, the athlete is then scored along with the amount of weight he lifted overhead without faltering.
An athlete has to first display his or her prowess in a technique called snatch. Snatch involves a squatting athlete lifting the weighted barbell with arms in a fixed position overhead. The execution of the technique is considered successful if the lifter stands full on his feet and the weight overhead without wobbly knees. The technique is marked as a failure if the lifter drops the weight before the designated time of weight suspended overhead.
The athlete from here on moves to the category of clean and jerk technique which relies more on focused breathing and balance than lower body strength. To successfully execute this move, the athlete balances the barbell over his delts after lifting it from the ground while standing labeling this phase as clean. Locked in this position, the athlete than explosively lift the barbell overhead using one leg to push while the other supporting the weight.
Having witnessed both techniques, the judges than give points to the lifter depending on their successful execution of their technique and the weight lifted overhead. The winning contestant thus is a sportsman who has perfected the sports of Olympic weightlifting into a form of art. This at the end proves that mind and body combined as one can achieve feats worthy of those who dwelt on the Olympus.
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