Snatch Archives - www.oldtimestrongman.com

Harold Musselman

Posted on Saturday, January 22nd, 2022 by John Wood

Harold Musselman (which is an utterly fantastic name for a weightlifter), of the Baltimore YMCA, is shown here in January of 1936, smashing his own South Atlantic record in the snatch in the 165 lb class with a lift of 205 pounds. In the same meet, Musselman also set a new South Atlantic record in the Clean & Jerk with a lift of 265 pounds (bettering the old record of 260 pounds).

Chuck Vinci

Posted on Wednesday, April 3rd, 2019 by John Wood

Chuck 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.

Eduard Danzer

Posted on Monday, August 6th, 2018 by John Wood

At the 1908 World Weightlifting Championship, won by Josef Grafl, the second place winner was Eduard Danzer of old Vienna.

Danzer lifted as follows:

* Right-Hand snatch: 176 lbs.
* Left-Hand snatch 149 lbs.
* Two-Hands press: 231 lbs.
* Two-Hands snatch: 209 lbs
* Two-Hands jerk: 330 lbs.

Yury Duganov

Posted on Tuesday, October 31st, 2017 by John Wood

Yury Duganov is another in the long line of great Soviet weightlifters. Notice that Duganovw as an early adapter of the split-style which served him well. As a middleweight, he set eight world records in his career, all in the snatch. Duganov’s best official mark in the snatch was a 133 kg lift in 1955 in Podolsk, Russia although he did hit an unofficial record of 136.5 kg as a light-heavyweight at a meet in Beijing, China in 1956. Duganov won four Russian lifting championships (1950, 1953-1955) and finished second in two others (1949, 1951) but never did make it to the Olympics.

Phil Caira

Posted on Thursday, September 19th, 2013 by John Wood

Phil Caira was one of Scotland’s greatest weightlifters. Here he is with a 265 lb. snatch at the 1958 Commonwealth Games, where he took first in the light-heavyweight class, coincidentally. Caira was know for his extremely “low” style. Caira also won the light-heavy class at the 1962 Commonwealth Games as well.

1938 Senior Nationals Program

Posted on Tuesday, February 26th, 2013 by John Wood

1938 Sr. Nationals Weightlifting Program

A look at an extremely rare program from the 1938 Senior National Weightlifting contest. If you had been in attendance, you would have seen quite a show: Firpo Lemma, out of the Bates Barbell Club of Patterson, New Jersey set two records in the 112 lb. class: a press of 205 lb. (which was a World record) and a Clean and jerk of 210 lbs. (An American record).

Anthony Terlazzo set a World record in the 148 lb. class with a Clean and Jerk of 320 lb., John Terpak set an American record in the snatch with a lift of 250 lb. In the 181 lb. class, Stanley Kratkowski set an American record in the Clean and Jerk with 330 and John Grimek set an American record in the press with 250 lb.

In the heavyweights, Bill Good set an American record in the Clean and Jerk with a lift of 340 lb. but Steve Stanko came along and broke it a few minutes later with a lift of 345 lb. It should also be noted that Weldon Bullock, then only 17 years old, shook up the weightlifting world with a Clean and Jerk of 330 lb.

Rene Duverger

Posted on Saturday, January 19th, 2013 by John Wood

The French weightlifter Rene Duverger won the Gold in the lightweight class (67.5kg) at the 1932 Olympic games in Los Angeles, California. Duverger’s total was 325kg on the day and comprised of a 97.5 kg press, a 102.5 kg snatch and a 125 kg clean and jerk.

John Davis

Posted on Wednesday, December 19th, 2012 by John Wood

John Davis

Ironically, American weightlifting champions often got more recognition from the international media than they did back home. Here”s John Davis, pictured on the cover of a French Sporting magazine in 1950 on his way to winning the heavyweight class the 1950 World Championship in Paris, France. By the weight on the bar, this appears to be Davis’ winning snatch lift of 147.5 kg.

Charles Rigoulot

Posted on Saturday, December 1st, 2012 by John Wood

Charles Rigoulot

Another look at the great French champion Charles Rigoulot. In October of 1928, at the famed Voltaire Gymnasium, shown here, Rigoulot set two world records: a clean and jerk of 360 pounds and a snatch of 282 pounds. Rigoulot preferred shot loaded “globe” equipment long after they were out of fashion. The large globes shown here pointedly maintained the same bar distance from the floor as the newly established barbell plate standard, so Rigoulot’s lifts were recognized as official records.

Tommy Kono ~ Strength and Health Magazine, August, 1955

Posted on Thursday, October 25th, 2012 by John Wood

Strength and Health Magazine, August, 1955 - Tommy Kono Cover

Tommy Kono graces the cover of the August, 1955 issue of Strength and Health magazine. Just a few months later, in October of 1955, Tommy would go on to take the Gold medal in the light-heavyweight (82.5 kg) class at the World Championships held in in Munich, West Germany. Kono’s winning total was 435 kg, and consisted of a 142.5 kg press, a 127.5 kg snatch and a 165 kg clean and jerk.