History the WeightLifting
Modern weightlifting history officially begins on March 28, 1891, when the first weightlifting World Championships were held in London, where 7 athletes representing 6 countries took part. Unofficially, the story goes way back, when people paid to see gigantic men demonstrating their physical power in public places (parks, public squares, etc). According to people’s testimonies, Canadian Louis Sur lifted a 669kg wagon in 1880. American Walter Kennedy lifted from the ground a sphere weighing 600kg, while Czech Anton Richa held over him a weight of 854kg.
Weightlifting competitions began to take place in USA since 1860. Ten years later the sport became known in Europe; the first weightlifting clubs were set up in Paris and in Brussels.
The first official weightlifting competition in Greece was held in 1888 during the 4th Zappas Olympiad, at the Central Gymnasium in Omonia. As Paulos Manitakis mentions in his book “100 years of Greek sports 1830-1930”, “in one-hand lift, Anastassios Philadelpheus from Athens came up first and Lazaros Moussiou second. In two-hand lift, Lazaros Moussiou (a hair dresser from Spetses) came up first and Ioannis Tsepetakis second”. Those three pioneering weightlifters also competed in other events. Tsepetakis took the first place in shot put, Moussiou came up second in pole vault and Philadelpheus second in climbing.
At the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, weightlifting moved from town squares to stadiums. The Weightlifting Organizing Committee decided to include weightlifting among the nine Olympic events. Qualifying games were held in Greece aiming to form a national team that would represent the country at the Olympics. Sotiris Versis and Alexandros Nikolopoulos qualified for one-hand lift. Sotiris Versis and Georgios Papasideris dominated the two-hand lift.
According to the official records of the first Olympics, indicted by Timoleon Filimon, N. Politis and H. Anninos, the event was held, fifth in a row, on March 26, 1896, on the second day of the games. Eight athletes participated; Viggo Jensen from Denmark and Launceston Elliot from Britain took first and second place respectively.
The two Greeks came up third. Sotiris Versis of Panellinios GS lifted 100kg in two-hand lift. Born in 1875 he was an all-around athlete. He also competed in discus finishing third with 27.78m. Member of a wealthy Athenian family, Versis practiced shooting as a hobby. In 1896, he was into commercial studies. Later he worked in the stock market. He died in 1918 at the age of 43 struck by Asiatic influenza. Alexandros Nikolopoulos, a medical student from Messinia, came up third with 57,2kg in one-hand lift.
Greece played a decisive role in establishing weightlifting as an Olympic event. On the other hand, the French did not include weightlifting in the program of Paris Olympics in 1900. Reinstated in St Louis (1904) and Athens (1906 Mid-Olympics) weightlifting was excluded from London (1908) and Stockholm (1912) Olympics.