What is Olympic Weightlifting?
Olympic weightlifting is a sport where athletes compete against each other by completing two lifts: the snatch and clean and jerk. The snatch is performed by lifting a barbell from the ground to an overhead position all in one motion. The clean and jerk is very similar to the snatch except that the weight is first lifted from the ground to the shoulders and then extended overhead. Each athlete has three attempts on both the snatch and clean and jerk with the highest successful attempt on each lift counting towards the final total. The total of the two lifts are added up and the athlete with the highest total for both lifts is the winner. Athletes in this sport compete within specific age and weight classes which makes it a great sport for people of all ages and sizes.