RECORDS BROKEN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 12, 25 October 1949, Page 5

RECORDS BROKEN

AMATEUR WEIGHT-LIFTING CHAMPIONSHIPS

(P.A. DUNEDIN, Oct. 24. When he won the heavy-weight title at the New Zealand amateur weightlifting championships on Saturday night H. R. Cleghom, of Auckland, totalled 9001 b for the three Olympic lifts, this being the first time that this total has been attained in a contest in the British Empire. Cleghom registered 2851 b for the military press, compared with his recently-established British Empire record of 29021 b, and failed by only 91b to equal his record of 2731 b for the snatch. In the clean and jerk he was credited with 2451 b, his record being 349£1b, established in 1940.

There were several other first-class efforts, and L. Lawn, of Auckland, who won the feather-weight class by more than 701 b, with a total of 5251 b for the three lifts, established new figures of 170Jlh for the snatch, in which his previous record was 1641 b. A former title-holder,, B. Mitchell, of Invercargill, representing, Otago, was runnerup with a total of 452 Mb. The light-weight class drew the largest and most representative entry, and after a keen tussle the title-holder, E. Norton, beat his Northland team mate, L. Snooks, the result being decided by the body weight of the com- , petitors as they finished on level terms with totals of 6001 b each. Norton weighed in at |lb less than Snooks, and it was this which was the deciding factor. Snooks, however, equalled his own New Zealand record of 1951 b for the two-hand snatch.

Some good lifting was seen in the middle-weight class, in which B. R. George, of Auckland, who was nominated for the Olympic Games, successfully defended his title against the challenges of several English lifters who recently arrived in the Dominion. George holds the Dominion records for the three Olympic lifts in this class, and in totalling 7201 bhe won by a margin of 1251 b. T. R. Clark retained the light-heavy-weight championship by consistent lifting, his total of 6851 b being 701 b more than that of H. Morrison, the Scottish champion and an Empire Games representative, who competed by invitation, but was not eligible to hold a place. The bantam-weight championship was won by F. May with a total of 4001 b. May held this title in 1941. The “Mr New Zealand” best physique contest was won by B. West, of Whangarei, and W. Harper, of Dunedin, who was runner-up. Last year’s winner, E. Norton, was third.