Voltaire Gymnasium Archives - www.oldtimestrongman.com

The Apollon Wheels Arrive

Posted on Wednesday, December 17th, 2014 by John Wood

It is fairly common knowledge that on March 3, 1930 Charles Rigoulot attempted, (and of course, subsequently lifted) the famed rail car wheels of Apollon. You probably haven’t seen this one though: on the morning of the attempt, the wheels were delivered to the Voltaire Gymnasium from the museum where it normally resided. Here’s a rare shot of the crew of workmen getting the wheels off the truck and they sure don’t look too thrilled about it… Look closely and you’ll see that they delivered other weights besides the wheels that day.

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.

The 1942 Weightlifting Championship of France

Posted on Thursday, March 29th, 2012 by John Wood

French Weightlifter, 1942

A rare look at a shot from the French Weightlifting Championship of 1942. Unfortunately records from the time period are spotty, so we don’t know this lifter’s name (although it may possibly be Augustin D’Halluin).

Like many big athletic competitions, this event was held at the famous Voltaire Gymnasium in Paris. Originally built in 1870, the Voltaire Gymnasium is still around, if you know where to look… it has been preserved and athletic events are still held there to this day. It’s pretty amazing to think that you can go lift in the same place that Charles Rigoulot and Louis Hostin set many of their records.