Viggo Jensen of Denmark and Launceston Elliot of the United Kingdom both lifted 111.5 kilograms, and the tie was broken by a determination by Prince George that Jensen had performed the lift with better form than had Elliot.

A protest by the British delegation resulted in each athlete being given further attempts to improve their scores.

Top visiting weightlifters in Athens included Launceston Elliot and Lawrence Levy of Great Britain and Viggo Jensen of Denmark.

Two Greek weightlifters competed as well, along with German gymnast Carl Schuhmann and Hungarian tennis player Momčilo Tapavica.

Levy withdrew from all weightlifting competitions after being told that there would be no two-hand dumbbell event, though he served as a judge and assistant to Elliott.