Ebert takes title and record

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33446, 30 January 1974, Page 7

Ebert takes title and record

A Canterbury lifter, Tony Ebert, won New Zealand’s first weightlifting gold medal of the Games in the middleweight division at the James Hay Theatre last evening. A New York policeman, Stanley Bailey (Trinidad and Tobago) was second, and Robert Wrench (Wales) was third. Ebert won the title from; Bailey on a body-weight) icountback. Wrench took the!

, bronze from Terry Bennett - the same way. The best ranked of the ‘ middle-weight lifters, John ! Waterworth, of Australia, . was well ahead with a Games , record of 130 kg, at the end ! of the three-rounds of the snatch lift. SECOND Terry Bennett (Wales) was second with 120 kg, and Ebert third with 117.5 kg. Ebeit was unlucky with his snatching. He missed two at ; 122.5. He pulled the weight (with plenty of power, but ! slightly missed balance.

Ebert, who is renowned for his strength in the clean and i jerk, opened with 157.5 kg. ; Then followed a tense period of rapidly changing fortunes. MISS Waterworth, a very fast and explosive lifter, took 160 kg for his first attempt. He missed, and the crowd sensed that New Zealand had a chance for the gold medal. Ebert followed with 160 kg, but did not come up out of the squat. Wrench succeeded with 157.5 kg. This left the opportunity

of a gold medal to Bailey if he succeeded with 160 kg. But he missed the jerk after a very powerful clean. Waterworth, who had already lost the skin off the top of his right thumb in his record snatch, fell groaning to the floor when a knee gave way in his second jerk attempt with 160 kg. LAST ATTEMPT Meanwhile Bailey — calm, composed, and always looking dangerous — failed with his last attempt at 160 kg. Then Waterworth, showing great courage, surprised the

’ audience by returning to the : lifting platform for a third i attempt at 160 kg. His leg gave way again and he col- ■ lapsed and was helped. : screaming with pain, from ; the stage. This made Ebert sure of ; the gold medal. Then he took 162.5 kg for an attempt on ; the Games clean and jerk re-1 cord. He again showed how mag-| nificently he can rise to a big; . occasion by cleaning the! weight in his finest form of! ; the evening, but did not jerk > it.