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Athens2004, Greece - Olympics official website
Aug 20 2004
Men's 85kg : Dimas goes for fourth Olympic gold
ATHENS, 20 August - Pyrros Dimas, of Greece, will try tomorrow
(Saturday) to become the first weightlifter to win four consecutive
Olympic gold medals.
The 33-year-old dominated the light heavyweight (85kg) category in
Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney and now seeks victory in front of his
fans in Athens. But the task will not be easy as Dimas is recovering
from knee and shoulder injuries and more recently he's had a problem
with his wrist.
Australia's Sergo Chakhoyan has the highest entry total among the 11
competitors with 392.5kg and that's 7.5kg more than Dimas. However,
at their last meeting in Sydney the Armenian-born Chakhoyan finished
in sixth place, 12.5kg behind gold medal winner Dimas.
In 2000 three athletes lifted the same weight (390kg), but the Greek
won gold on bodyweight difference from Mark Huster (GER), now a
television commentator, and George Asanidze (GEO) who will be
competing tomorrow after recovering from an elbow injury.
YUAN Aijun (CHN) will be a strong contenter, having won silver in the
world championships in Vancouver last November.
The gold medallist in Canada was Valeriu Calancea (ROM) who a few
weeks later was seriously injured in the Olympic Games' test event at
Nikaia Weightlifting Hall. He dislocated his elbow and damaged bones,
but has had a remarkable recovery and now is a medal contenter.
Turkey's Izzet INCE and Aleksandr Anishchanka, of Belarus, could
figure among the place getters, while 22-year-old Georgios Markoulas,
seen as Greece's succesor to Dimas, cannot be ignored as he won
silver in the Clean and Jerk in Kiev's European Champioships.
Meanwhile, in Women's competition, two Sydney medallists, Agata
Wrobel (POL) and Cheryl Haworth (USA), will meet again in the Women's
Super-Heavyweight +75kg class in the Athens Olympic Games.
Wrobel won the silver medal in 2000 when she was only 19 and today
(Friday) she celebrated her 23rd birthday. Haworth, at 17, was even
younger in Sydney and in Athens she carries America's hopes for a
medal in weightlifting.
Between them and gold is China's TANG Gonghong, holder of world
records for total (302.5kg) and Clean and Jerk (175kg).
Albina Khomich (RUS), who will be 28 next week, has been a
place-getter over the past decade in all major championships in which
she's competed.
South Korea's Jang Mi Ran and Hungary's Viktoria Varga who lifted the
same weight in Vancouver will be challenging for a place in the top
five.
Greece's hopes rest with Vassiliki KASAPI who is expected to
establish new personal best and national records.
Tomorrow's program:
10:30 Men's 85kg Group B
16:30 Women's +75kg Group A
20:00 Men's 85kg Group A
Aug 20 2004
Men's 85kg : Dimas goes for fourth Olympic gold
ATHENS, 20 August - Pyrros Dimas, of Greece, will try tomorrow
(Saturday) to become the first weightlifter to win four consecutive
Olympic gold medals.
The 33-year-old dominated the light heavyweight (85kg) category in
Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney and now seeks victory in front of his
fans in Athens. But the task will not be easy as Dimas is recovering
from knee and shoulder injuries and more recently he's had a problem
with his wrist.
Australia's Sergo Chakhoyan has the highest entry total among the 11
competitors with 392.5kg and that's 7.5kg more than Dimas. However,
at their last meeting in Sydney the Armenian-born Chakhoyan finished
in sixth place, 12.5kg behind gold medal winner Dimas.
In 2000 three athletes lifted the same weight (390kg), but the Greek
won gold on bodyweight difference from Mark Huster (GER), now a
television commentator, and George Asanidze (GEO) who will be
competing tomorrow after recovering from an elbow injury.
YUAN Aijun (CHN) will be a strong contenter, having won silver in the
world championships in Vancouver last November.
The gold medallist in Canada was Valeriu Calancea (ROM) who a few
weeks later was seriously injured in the Olympic Games' test event at
Nikaia Weightlifting Hall. He dislocated his elbow and damaged bones,
but has had a remarkable recovery and now is a medal contenter.
Turkey's Izzet INCE and Aleksandr Anishchanka, of Belarus, could
figure among the place getters, while 22-year-old Georgios Markoulas,
seen as Greece's succesor to Dimas, cannot be ignored as he won
silver in the Clean and Jerk in Kiev's European Champioships.
Meanwhile, in Women's competition, two Sydney medallists, Agata
Wrobel (POL) and Cheryl Haworth (USA), will meet again in the Women's
Super-Heavyweight +75kg class in the Athens Olympic Games.
Wrobel won the silver medal in 2000 when she was only 19 and today
(Friday) she celebrated her 23rd birthday. Haworth, at 17, was even
younger in Sydney and in Athens she carries America's hopes for a
medal in weightlifting.
Between them and gold is China's TANG Gonghong, holder of world
records for total (302.5kg) and Clean and Jerk (175kg).
Albina Khomich (RUS), who will be 28 next week, has been a
place-getter over the past decade in all major championships in which
she's competed.
South Korea's Jang Mi Ran and Hungary's Viktoria Varga who lifted the
same weight in Vancouver will be challenging for a place in the top
five.
Greece's hopes rest with Vassiliki KASAPI who is expected to
establish new personal best and national records.
Tomorrow's program:
10:30 Men's 85kg Group B
16:30 Women's +75kg Group A
20:00 Men's 85kg Group A