My wife raised a good question. In regards to having to lift the weight overhead…how is it fair that a man maybe 6’2" has to compete against a man maybe 5’8"? In other words, don’t the shorter contenders have an advantage here? One might reason that a taller person’s longer arms give more mechanical advantage while lifting, but ultimately, the shorter person will do less mechanical work against gravity.
So, the question is how do men of different heights compete in the same competition? How can the judges account for such differences? And also of note, the TV announcer said that the lighter weightlifter is given the win in the event of a tie! But, lighter might be a result of being shorter!!!
So, I guess Randy Newman was wrong about “Short People”!
Absolutely right that short people have an advantage. Check out Naim Suleymanoglu, Turkey’s “Pocket Hercules.” He’s under five foot, lifts in the 141 pound class, and just won another gold. Sure, his size helps him, but the fact that he can lift more than double his body weight over his head seems to me the more significant fact.
The answer, basically, is tough bananas. Being short or tall is just the breaks. After all, being tall’s a benefit in high jumping, basketball and volleyball.
::hi, Jack::
Any thoughts as to why the gargantu-lifters have such pronounced stomachs? (Notice how diplomatic I am trying to be. I was in awe last night when I realized that these people were lifting the equivalent of my motorcycle over their heads. I can barley get it on the center-stand. They have ‘pronounced stomachs’ not beer guts.) Is it fat? Does it help them in any way? Is there a common reason why they all seem to have it?
::by, Jack::
It’s a competition to see who can lift the most weight over their head without using machinery or performance enhancing drugs. Period. If some competetitors genetic deficiency (e.g. being tall) gives him a slight disadvantage, too bad for him.
The “Pocket Hercules” lifted a grand total of 0 kilos in the Olympics this year. He had come out of retirement to compete in Sydney and didn’t have it this year.