Weightlifting at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's +90 kg

The men's +90 kg weightlifting competitions at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne took place on 26 November at the Royal Exhibition Building.[1] It was the eighth appearance of the heavyweight class, and second time at the above-90 kg weight. Previously, all weightlifters above 82.5 kg were included in the heavyweight class.[2]

Men's +90 kg at the Games of the XVI Olympiad
Venue	Royal Exhibition Building
Date	26 November 1956
Competitors	9 from 9 nations
Winning total	500 kg OR
Medalists
Paul Anderson  United States Humberto Selvetti  Argentina Alberto Pigaiani  Italy

Competition format

Each weightlifter had three attempts at each of the three lifts. The best score for each lift was summed to give a total. The weightlifter could increase the weight between attempts (minimum of 5 kg between first and second attempts, 2.5 kg between second and third attempts) but could not decrease weight. If two or more weightlifters finished with the same total, the competitors' body weights were used as the tie-breaker (lighter athlete wins).[1]

Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.

World record	Press	Paul Anderson (USA)	185.5 kg		1955
	Snatch	Norbert Schemansky (USA)	150 kg		1954
	Clean & Jerk	Paul Anderson (USA)	196.5 kg		1955
	Total	Paul Anderson (USA)	512.2 kg	Munich, West Germany	16 October 1955
Olympic record	Press	John Davis (USA)  Humberto Selvetti (ARG)	150 kg	Helsinki, Finland	27 July 1952
	Snatch	John Davis (USA)	145 kg	Helsinki, Finland	27 July 1952
	Clean & Jerk	John Davis (USA)	177.5 kg	London, United Kingdom	11 August 1948
	Total	John Davis (USA)	460 kg	Helsinki, Finland	27 July 1952

Results

Rank	Athlete	Nation	Body weight	Press (kg)				Snatch (kg)				Clean & Jerk (kg)				Total
				1	2	3	Result	1	2	3	Result	1	2	3	Result
	Paul Anderson	United States	137.90	167.5	172.5	172.5	167.5	140	145	145	145 =OR	187.5	187.5	187.5	187.5 OR	500 OR
	Humberto Selvetti	Argentina	143.50	165	175	180	175 OR	135	140	145	145 =OR	170	180	185	180	500 OR
	Alberto Pigaiani	Italy	131.80	145	150	150	150	125	130	130	130	165	172.5	175	172.5	452.5
4	Firouz Pojhan	Iran	99.50	140	147.5	150	147.5	125	130	132.5	132.5	162.5	170	175	170	450
5	Eino Mäkinen	Finland	108.60	122.5	127.5	130	127.5	130	135	137.5	137.5	162.5	167.5	172.5	167.5	432.5
6	Dave Baillie	Canada	125.60	140	147.5	155	147.5	122.5	130	130	122.5	155	162.5	162.5	162.5	432.5
7	Franz Hölbl	Austria	123.80	142.5	147.5	147.5	142.5	120	125	127.5	125	157.5	157.5	165	157.5	425
8	Hugh Jones	New Zealand	120.70	117.5	125	130	125	115	122.5	127.5	122.5	145	150	155	150	397.5
9	Dandamudi Rajagopal	India	113.00	115	122.5	130	122.5	100	105	110	105	132.5	132.5	137.5	132.5	360

New records

Press	175 kg	Humberto Selvetti (ARG)	OR
Snatch	145 kg	Paul Anderson (USA)  Humberto Selvetti (ARG)	=OR
Clean & Jerk	187.5 kg	Paul Anderson (USA)	OR
Total	500 kg	Paul Anderson (USA)  Humberto Selvetti (ARG)	OR

References

1. Official Report, p. 646.
2. "Weightlifting at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games: Men's Heavyweight". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2019.