Lasha Talakhadze is commonly regarded as one of the best weightlifters of all time — he is unequivocally the strongest, having lifted more weight in the snatch and clean & jerk, the sport’s two ... Continue Reading
“Exactly What We Need”: USA Weightlifting’s National Team Program Makes Big Promises for American Athletes
American weightlifting has momentum. After the best performance in its modern history at the 2024 Olympics, Team USA is poised to perform even better over the coming years. The NTP, designed by ... Continue Reading
Rizki Juniansyah Is the Second-Best Jerker in Weightlifting History
In April, Rizki Juniansyah made a big splash in the weightlifting world when he sniped one of Indonesia’s athlete slots from teammate Rahmat Erwin Abdullah. Juniansyah went on to win the 73-kilogram event ... Continue Reading
Italian Stallion: Antonino Pizzolato Smashes 180KG Snatch
Antonino Pizzolato is, maybe, Italy’s best weightlifter. Italian weightlifters floundered at the 2024 Olympics in Paris after raising their profile throughout the pre-Games qualification period, but ... Continue Reading
World’s First Weightlifting Museum Opens in China
2024 has been a great year for weightlifting — there was a little event in Paris back in August called the Olympic Games, and before that, the IWF World Cup proved to be one of the most exhilarating ... Continue Reading
Exclusive: Inside Team China’s Youth Weightlifting Industry
Back in June, Hillary Tran went a little bit viral. By posting an Instagram Reel — as of Oct. 2024, it’s up to 4.8 million hits — showing some of Team China’s youth athlete development camps in action, ... Continue Reading
2024 IWF Junior World Weightlifting Championships Results
The 2024 Olympics have come and gone, but weightlifting is still rocking around the world. September plays host to the 2024 IWF Junior World Weightlifting Championships (JWWC), where the rising stars of ... Continue Reading
USA’s Ella Nicholson Dominates, Sets Records at 2024 Junior World Weightlifting Championships
Team USA’s weightlifting industry has a bright future. American weightlifters had their best-ever performance at the Olympic Games this August in Paris. Just a few months later, the States’ Junior athletes ... Continue Reading
Tuna Meatballs for Breakfast: Olympic Champion Karlos Nasar’s Insane Weightlifting Diet
20-year-old Olympic Champion Karlos Nasar has an absolutely bonkers weightlifting diet. Nasar, who won gold for Bulgaria at the 2024 Olympics in the 89-kilogram division, takes every aspect of his training ... Continue Reading
Karlos Nasar Unpaid for Olympic Gold, World Records — May Miss 2024 World Championships
Despite an Olympic gold medal and multiple world records, Karlos Nasar has not been paid for his efforts by his home country and may even miss out on the upcoming 2024 World Weightlifting Championships in ... Continue Reading
Mattie Rogers’ Top 3 Tips for Competing in Strength Sports
Weightlifter Mattie Rogers knows a thing or two about competing in strength sports. After so many years carrying the Team USA banner all over the world (and on the weightlifting podium), Rogers ... Continue Reading
Unofficial World Record: Jiang Huihua’s Double-Bodyweight, 99KG Snatch
Despite being one of Team China's best athletes and having the strength to snatch more than twice her own weight, 49-kilogram Jiang Huihua has never been to the Olympic Games. Yet Jiang has ... Continue Reading
The Most Surprising Weightlifting Stats From the 2024 Olympics
The 2024 Olympics may be in the rearview, but weightlifting fanatics like us are still doing post-game reviews. The summer Games in Paris may have been the smallest Olympic-level weightlifting event in ... Continue Reading
Olympic Champion Solfrid Koanda’s First Workout After Winning Weightlifting Gold
Electrician-turned-Olympic-Champion Solfrid Koanda made history for Norway at Paris 2024. Koanda, 25, won her country's first women's weightlifting gold medal in the 81-kilogram category only a few years ... Continue Reading
Lasha Talakhadze Reveals His Heaviest Squat Ever
Lasha Talakhadze is stronger than he needs to be. The Georgian won his third Olympic gold medal at Paris 2024 earlier in August, cementing himself as the modern G.O.A.T. of competitive ... Continue Reading
“Retired” Weightlifter Tian Tao Smashes 550-Pound Front Squat
Chinese weightlifter Tian Tao retired after failing to qualify for the 2024 Olympics this spring — sort of. Known for having some of the strongest legs in the world of weightlifting, Tian despite his ... Continue Reading
Weightlifters Spam the Internet With Unofficial Records After 2024 Olympics
With the 2024 Olympics in the rearview, many of the world's best weightlifters are finally showing their hands after months of playing things close to the chest. BarBend is proud to partner with ... Continue Reading
Karlos Nasar Reveals 185KG Unofficial Snatch World Record
The gold medal was engraved with Karlos Nasar’s name before the 2024 Olympics even began. Just kidding; they don’t put the winners’ names on the medals. But Nasar had the gold spoken for, thanks to his ... Continue Reading
Exclusive: Olivia Reeves “Open” to Second Olympics, Wants World Records First
Despite her historic gold-medal performance at the 2024 Olympics, Team USA weightlifter Olivia Reeves isn’t certain she’ll make a bid for the next summer Games. What is certain, though, is that Reeves ... Continue Reading
Italian Weightlifters Are Social Media Stars, but They Blew It at the 2024 Olympics
Whether you’re a fan of weightlifting (the sport), or you just like lifting weights (the hobby), you’ve probably seen Italian weightlifters on your Explore feed once or twice. Over the past few years, ... Continue Reading
Win or Lose, Weightlifters Love Doing Backflips When They Compete
When Colombian weightlifter Luis Javier Mosquera finished lifting at the 2024 Olympics, he celebrated his final clean & jerk with a backflip on stage. Mosquera didn’t win a medal in the Men’s ... Continue Reading
Despite 3X Olympic Golds, Lasha Talakhadze’s 10-Year Goal of 500KG Total Is Out of Reach
The disciples who pray at the altar of Lasha Talakhadze speak of the 500-kilogram Total as though it might as well be the Rapture; the crowning and borderline-otherwordly achievement of the closest thing ... Continue Reading
2024 Olympics: Top Weightlifting Moments & Stories You Missed
Want to catch up on everything that happened during weightlifting at the Olympics? We've got you covered. The Paris Games showcased the world's best weightlifters between Aug. 7 and 11. Over the course ... Continue Reading
Team China Wins 5 of 6 Possible Weightlifting Golds at 2024 Olympics
At the 2024 Olympics, Team China did what they do best — win. The world’s most dominant weightlifting team of the 21st century bagged five out of six possible gold medals over the course of 10 events at ... Continue Reading