Weight-Lifting Has Appeal All Its Own

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28480, 9 January 1958, Page 11

Weight-Lifting Has Appeal All Its Own

FA SPORT reserved for strong " men is weight-lifting. The weight-lifter, like an Atlas struggling to hoist the world on his shoulders, grunts and heaves as he makes his lift. He has to be admired for his strength and his willpower; frequently he has to use every ounce of both when he is attempting a crucial lift in a contest. The sport may lack the excitement of a 1500 metres race or the spectacle of a steeplechase, but it has a drama and suspense all of its own. During the last Olympic Games at Melbourne, the bantam-weight title produced the tension which often accompanies the sport The leading candidates for the title, V. Stogov, of Russia, and C. T. Vinci, of the United States, both world record-holders, waited patiently while the lesser giants struggled with the lighter lifts. After the other competitors had done their best Stogov and Vinci started, and in their first attempts lifted a heavier weight than most of their rivals. The Final The deeply religious Vinci and the Russian were equal in the final section of the contest the jerk, when Vinci made his second lift Putting down his Bible—which he carries all the time except when he makes a lift— Vinci heaved and struggled to lift 1325 kilograms. With his third and final attempt Stogov attempted 135 kilograms to win the gold medaL Stogov waited pensively before he bent to make the lift and then grunted and struggled to jerk the weight above his head—but failed. Before Vinci made his winning lift he glanced at one of the spectators for encouragement; the spectator was the world champion heavy-weight, Paul Anderson. The easy-going young American is prodigiously strong. With a hip and shoulder harness, Anderson claims he can lift 5000 pounds, about two tons and a half. There are two main reasons why Anderson can lift such colossal weights; he is a massive man, and he trains constantly. Anderson weighs more than 22 stone, has a 58-inch chest but is only sft lOin in height. He is a draper's nightmare—with his 231-inch .neck—and a milkman's dream. He drinks almost a gallon of milk a day.

t At his home in Toccoa, Georgia,

Anderson has his own training apparatus. He has a home-made barbell which consists of two oil drums connected with a long bar. The drums are loaded until the whole apparatus weighs 12001 b. One of the most prominent New Zealand weight-lifters is R. H. Jones, a 19-stone Petone electrical contractor. After being coached and trained by H. Cleghorn, Jones competed in the Melbourne Olympics'but found the standard set by Anderson and the Argentinian, H. Silvetti, too high. Jones took up the sport in 1954 after being previously a prominent Wellington athlete. Sprinter When Jones was about six stone lighter and a few years younger, he was prominent in sprint and hurdles events, the shot put and the discus. He ran third to Don Jowett in the 1949 Wellington 100 yards championship. Weight-lifters usually have to build up their strength and weight before competing in any major event. They do not usually develop into prodigious eaters but often rely on a high protein to build up muscle. Amateur weight-lifting is a comparatively modern sport and was introduced at the first modern Olympics at Athens. Before that, the sport consisted of professional exhibitions, and that, combined with the freak physiques of most weight-lifters, gives the. sport a slight circus atmosphere.