Weightlifting (often known as Olympic weightlifting) is a competitive strength sport in which athletes compete in lifting a barbell loaded with weight plates from the ground to overhead, with the aim of successfully lifting the heaviest weights.

An athlete's score is the combined total of the highest successfully-lifted weight in kilograms for each lift.

Athletes compete in various weight classes, which are different for each sex and have changed over time.

The snatch is then completed by the lifter rising to a standing position while holding the barbell overhead.

To perform the clean, the lifter takes a shoulder-width grip on the bar and pulls it off the floor, and then rapidly re-bends their knees (and bends their arms) to get their body under the barbell and "catch" the bar on the front of the shoulders (usually in a deep front squat position).

The lifter finishes the clean by rising to a standing position while holding the barbell on the front of their shoulders.

There are two side judges and one head referee who together provide a "successful" or "failed" result for each attempt based on their observation of the lift within the governing body's rules and regulations.

Athletes, rather than "strictly" pressing the weight overhead with an upright torso, had been using their hips and leaning backward substantially.

Some athletes were able to initiate the press with a hip thrust so rapid that judges found it difficult to determine whether or not they had utilized any knee bend to generate additional force, something strictly prohibited in the rules.

In 1987, women's world championship events were included for the first time in IWF's annual World Weightlifting Championships, with women such as Karyn Marshall (US) and Cai Jun (China) amongst the winners in that first year.

[14][15] China's Chen Yanqing became an early star of women's weightlifting at the Olympics—as she won Olympic gold two games in a row, in 2004 and 2008.

[18] Kulsoom Abdullah became the first woman to do so at the U.S. National Championships that year, and athletes are allowed to do so at the Olympics.

[18] IWF rules previously stated that an athlete's knees and elbows must be visible so officials can determine if a lift is correctly executed.

Without sleeve rotation, the Olympic lifter faces more challenging lifts and a greater risk of injury.

The bumper plates are coated with rubber to allow the weights to be dropped from various heights—either after a successful lift or during an unsuccessful one.

[19] In addition to the rubber bumpers, smaller competition iron plates can be used to add weight in small increments to the bar.

A weightlifting belt of 120 mm maximum width may also be worn to increase intra-abdominal pressure.

A taped thumb not only lessens the risk of calluses, but it also reduces the pain associated with the hook grip.

Olympic lifters also tape their wrists, preventing exaggerated and uncomfortable joint movement during lifts.

This allows the lifter to come up on the toes and to catch the weight on the ball of the back foot during the "jerk" movement of the lift.

Most modern Weightlifting shoes use a hard TPU plastic heel that does not deform and is more durable than other materials.