Thursday, December 03, 2009
Marian ZielińskiMarian Zieliński, the Polish weightlifter who took part in four Olympic games, is shown here in mid-press. Zieliński was the first Polish athlete to win an Olympic weightlifting medal, when he took Bronze as a featherweight at the 1956 Games in Melbourne, Australia. At the 1960 Games in Rome he tried moving up to the lightweight class and finished fourth.
As a lightweight, he won two more Bronze medals, in Tokyo, 1964 and Mexico City, in 1968. He was also a three-time European champion and seven-time Polish Champion.
Labels: 1956 Olympics, 1960 Olympics, 1964 Olympics, 1968 Olympics, Bronze Medal, Marian Zieliński, Polish Weightlifter, Russian Olympic Set, Weightlifting Champion
www.oldtimestrongman.com
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Paul Anderson: Bringin' Home the Gold in '56Here's a rare shot of the great Paul Anderson at the moment he won the gold medal at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. The Russians, who had seen Big Paul in action previously figured he would run away with it... But It was no cakewalk, Anderson had developed an inner ear infection during the trip over which gave him trouble with his balance and caused him to miss lifts he ordinarily would have made with ease. Like a true champion though he fought through it and prevailed to take the gold medal.
Labels: 1956 Olympics, Gold Medal, Olympic Games, Paul Anderson
www.oldtimestrongman.com
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Bringing Home the Gold: Melbourne 1956The date of this photo is November 26th, 1956 and it shows the results of the Men's Light-Heavyweight weightlifting event at the '56 Olympic Games held in Melbourne, Australia. On his way to the Gold Medal, Tommy Kono set Olympic records in the Press and Snatch and a World Record in the Clean & Jerk and overall total (447.5 kg).
The other American lifter Jim George, from Akron, Ohio, won the Bronze with a 417.5 kg total. Vasīlijs Stepanovs of the Soviet Union took the Silver Medal with a 427.5 total.
Labels: 100 Pound Total, 1956 Olympics, Clean and Jerk, Gold Medal, Jim George, Melbourne Australia, Olympic Record, Olympic Weightlifting, Press, Snatch, Tommy Kono, Vasīlijs Stepanovs, World Record
www.oldtimestrongman.com
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Paul Anderson's WheelsWhat do you do when you need to squat 600+ pounds but a normal barbell won't hold enough weight? (And they didnt have 100 lb. plates back then.) This was Paul Anderson's solution, a set of wheels he found in a junk yard in his native town of Toccoa, Georgia. At first, everybody thought he was crazy, of course, they changed their tune when he came home from the '56 Olympics with a shiny new Gold Medal. I don't know of anyone who looked as relaxed as Big Paul when handling such big weights.
Labels: 1956 Olympics, Barbell, Gold Medal, Paul Anderson, Paul Anderson's Wheels, Squatting, Unique Equipment
www.oldtimestrongman.com
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Humberto SelvettiThe great Olympic Weightlifter Humberto Selvetti shows his stuff in his home land of Argentina. It was Selvetti who Paul Anderson defeated to win the Gold Medal at the 1956 Olympic Games. Selvetti and Anderson both totaled 500 kg but Anderson beat him on lighter bodyweight) Selvetti also won a Bronze medal at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki where he totaled 432.5 kg. (I find the barbell set in this picture especially interesting as I have never seen anything like it before or since.)
Labels: 1952 Olympics, 1956 Olympics, Argentinian Weightlifter, Barbell, Barbell Set, Humberto Selvetti, Olympic Lifting, Paul Anderson, Total
www.oldtimestrongman.com
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Blame it on Muscle BeachYou never knew what might happen at Muscle Beach with so many crazy strong folks around. Here's a bit of horse play with Ike Berger on the bottom and record-setting shot putter Parry O'Brien up top. O'Brien grew up in Santa Monica and no doubt his exposure to weightlifting and physical culture with the Muscle beach gang contributed to his success.
O'Brien was the first man to put the shot over 60 feet and won more than 116 consecutive competitions. He competed in four consecutive Olympic games, winning the Gold in 1952 Helsinki Games and the 1956 games in Melbourne, Australia.
Labels: 1952 Olympics, 1956 Olympics, Barbell Lift, Ike Berger, Muscle Beach, Parry O'Brien, Santa Monica California, Shot Put, Supporting Feat, York Deep Dish 45 Pound Plate
www.oldtimestrongman.com
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Friday, February 06, 2009
Gholamreza TakhtiGholamreza Takhti was the greatest wrestler in Iranian history. He won the gold medal at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. He also won Silver medals at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki and the 1960 Games in Rome. To build his strength and upper body endurance, he trained in the traditional methods, as is pictured here, finishing up a workout with the light Meels.
Labels: 1956 Olympics, Gholamreza Takhti, Iran, Iranian Wrestler, Meels, Melbourne Australia, Wrestler
www.oldtimestrongman.com
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Tommy KonoTamio "Tommy" Kono on the cover of the August, 1955 issue of Strength and Health Magazine. A year later he would go on to win the Goldmedal at the 1956 Olympic games in Melbourne, Australia with a 447.5 kg total (140+132.5 + 175).
Labels: 1956 Olympics, Cover, Melbourne Australia, Olympic Lifting, Strength and Health Magazine, Tommy Kono
www.oldtimestrongman.com
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Pete GeorgeAkron, Ohio's Pete George on the cover of the March, 1956 issue of Strength and Health Magazine.
Over his career, George won five World Championships (1947, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1955) and three Olmpic Medals (Silver: 1948 games London, England; Gold: 1952 Games, Helsinki, Finland; Silver: 1956 games Melbourne, Australia).
He set three world records and his best lifts were as follows:
Press: 122.5 kg Snatch: 127.5 kg Clean and Jerk: 164.5 kg
Labels: 1948 Olympics, 1952 Olympics, 1956 Olympics, Clean and Jerk, Olympic Champion, Olympic Weightlifting, Pete George, Press, Snatch, Strength and Health Magazine, World Champion
www.oldtimestrongman.com
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Chuck VinciChuck Vinci was another great olympic weightlifter from York, Pennsylvania. Though he stood only 4'11" and weighed 123 pounds, he could clean & jerk well over 300 pounds and snatch 220+.
Vinci was a Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist (1956 and 1960), Seven-time world Senior National Champion (1954-1956,1958-1961) and set Twelve World Records during his career.
Labels: 1956 Olympics, 1960 Olympics, Chuck Vinci, Clean and Jerk, Gold Medal, Olympic Weightlifting, Snatch, weightlifter, weightlifting, York Pennsylvania
www.oldtimestrongman.com
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Isaac "Ike" BergerIke Berger is one of America's most successful Olympic Weightlifters -- he was the first featherweight in history to lift more than 800 pounds and the first to press double body weight.
Over his career he was the owner of 23 world weightlifting records, a 12-time United States national titleholder, 2-time World Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist at the 1956 Games in Melbourne Australia (along with two more Silver medals at the next two Olympic Games.)
At the 1964 Olympic games, he estabilished a record of 152.5 kg (336 lb) in the jerk, at a bodyweight of only 130 pounds (59 kg). This lift made him pound-for-pound the strongest man in the world, a record that stood for nine years.
Ike Berger was elected to the United States Weightlifter's Hall of Fame in 1965.
Labels: 1956 Olympics, Clean and Jerk, Gold Medal, Ike Berger, Olympic Weightlifting, Olympics, Press, weightlifter, weightlifting, World Champion
www.oldtimestrongman.com
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Welcome to the Strongest Blog on the Net!
This is THE PLACE where you will find interesting bits of Iron Game history, lore and training tips from the strongest men of all time.
Previous Posts
Featured Products
Monthly Archives
Not yet a member? Subscribe now to receive daily doses of Strongman history, training tips, and site updates!
Copyright © 2010 Thunderdome Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved