Arnold Weightlifting Championships

Arnold Weightlifting Championships to Host International Athletes, World and Pan American Team Qualifier for USA Weightlifting

The Arnold Weightlifting Championships, one of over 40 sports and events held annually in downtown Columbus as part of the Arnold Sports Festival, will host weightlifters from every continent on the planet (well, except Antarctica) from March 1-3 as part of the 2013 event and is currently slated as one of only two qualifying events for the 2013 World Weightlifting Championships and Pan American Championships for USA Weightlifting. The other qualifying event is the 2013 National Weightlifting Championships, also to be held in Ohio, in August.

“Every year we strive to offer a bigger and better event for our athletes, coaches, and spectators,” says Mark Cannella, Chairman of the Arnold Weightlifting Championships and President of Columbus Weightlifting, the event’s host club since its inception into the Sports Festival in 2003. “Hosting the Olympic Team Trials for Weightlifting at the Arnold Sports Festival last year was a major milestone for us and certainly set a high bar to beat in 2013. But we are confident the event we’re building this year will do that.” 

The 2013 Arnold Weightlifting Championships is likely the only competition in the world outside of the Olympics or World Championships to include athletes from both North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. “Not to mention the qualifier portion that will showcase the very best weightlifters in the United States,” adds Cannella. “It’s shaping up to be a very special few days of lifting.” 

In addition to showcasing world-class lifters from Canada to Ecuador, Colombia to Cameroon, the 2013 Arnold Weightlifting Championships has also reserved two special sessions on Friday evening for CrossFitters only. “CrossFit is arguably the best thing ever to have happened to weightlifting in the United States,” says Rachel Crass, co-director of the event. “The sport’s popularity is booming, and the lifts are on television again. It’s incredible. We want to show the world that CrossFitters can not only perform the lifts, but they can perform them well, with solid technique and competitive weights. We want to show the world what CrossFitters can do with the quick lifts.”

The sport of weightlifting consists of two lifts: the snatch and the clean and jerk. Each athlete has three attempts to lift the most weight possible in each discipline, with the heaviest snatch and heaviest clean and jerk added together to form the total. The lifter with the highest total per his/her bodyweight is declared the winner. The snatch is performed by hoisting the bar from the floor to arms’ length overhead in a single, quick motion. The clean and jerk is a two-part lift in which the bar is first hoisted to the shoulders (the clean) and then jerked overhead to arms’ length.

The Arnold Weightlifting Championships has grown over the past ten years into one of the International Weightlifting Federation’s premier competitions. Olympians and world record holders from Russia, China, Bulgaria, Armenia, Great Britain, the Pacific Islands, and the United States have competed in Columbus since 2003 for more than $150,000 in cash, prizes, and scholarships, with more to come in 2013. For more information on the Arnold Weightlifting Championships, visit www.ColumbusWeightlifting.org. 

The Arnold Sports Festival, held annually in Columbus since 1989, is the nation’s largest multi-sport event. More than 18,000 athletes will compete in 45 sports and events February 28-March 3, 2013. For more information on the Arnold Sports Festival, visit www.ArnoldSportsFestival.com. 

USA Weightlifting (USAW) is a non-profit member organization of the United States Olympic Committee and is based in Colorado Springs, CO. The National Governing Body for the Olympic sport of weightlifting in the United States, USAW is guided by the mission of achieving sustained competitive excellence in Olympic competition and promoting weightlifting throughout the nation. For more information, visit www.usaweightlifting.org. 

Admission
Included in a Daily EXPO ticket ($10 in advance, $15 at the door). Purchase online at www.Ticketmaster.com/Arnold 

Contact Information

Mark Cannella
Chairman
614-832-2757
Arnold@ColumbusWeightlifting.org

Rachel Crass
Marketing
757-652-5348
Rachel@ColumbusWeightlifting.org

Media Contact
Brent LaLonde
Arnold Sports Fesival
614-431-2600
brent@arnoldexpo.com

For more information on the 2013 Arnold Weightlifting Championships, please visit Columbus Weightlifting Club’s website at www.columbusweightlifting.org