Rezazadeh, just 22 years old, hoisted 467 pounds in the snatch, shattering his own world record, and achieved a personal best of 573 pounds in the clean-and-jerk to set an overall world mark of 1,041 pounds.

Ronny Weller of Germany was the silver medalist, lifting a total of 1,030 pounds. The bronze went to Ashot Danielyan of Armenia, who put up 1,025 pounds.

Iran's Tavakoli Wins Gold
Iran's Hossein Tavakoli hoisted nearly half a ton to claim the men's weightlifting title in the men's 231-pound division Monday. His actual total: 937 pounds. Alan Tsagaev of Bulgaria was reinstated for competition shortly before lifting began, and managed to pull out a silver medal. It's the fourth weightlifting medal of the games for Bulgaria, but the first three have been taken away for drug violations. Said S Asaad of Qatar earned the bronze medal.

Kakiasvilis Joins Dimas, Suleymanoglu
Greece's Akakios Kakiasvilis has joined teammate Pyrros Dimas and Turkey's legendary Naim Suleymanoglu as three-time Olympic weightlifting champions. Kakiasvilis claimed the men's 207-pound title Sunday, lifting a total of 893 pounds. Nineteen-year-old Szymon Kolecki of Poland matched that total, but Kakiasvilis won the gold based on his lower body weight. Russia's Alexei Petrov claimed the bronze.

Dimas Wins Third Straight Gold
Now there are two Olympic weightlifters with three consecutive gold medals. Pyrros Dimas of Greece joined Naim Suleymanoglu of Turkey in the exclusive category Saturday. All three medalists lifted a total of 860 pounds, but Dimas was the lightest of the three competitors. Marc Huster of Germany won the silver medal and George Asanidze of Georgia was third.

Haworth Wins Bronze Behind Ding, Wrobel
A spectacular showdown in the women's superheavyweight competition forced China's Ding Meiyaun to set a world record in the clean-and-jerk to hold off Poland's Agata Wroebel. The 228-pound Ding put 358 pounds over her head in the clean-and-jerk. Wrobel, 30 pounds heavier, failed on a final attempt of 372 pounds as she tried to overtake Ding's combined total. She settled for silver. American teenager Cheryl Haworth made all six lifts she attempted to finish with a bronze medal.

Scandal Hands Knott Gold Medal
The disqualification of two more Bulgarian weightlifters for illegal drug use Friday further tarnishes a sport that was nearly dropped from the Olympics in 1988 after doping scandals. But the silver lining for American fans turns out to be the first gold medal for a U.S. weightlifter in 40 years. Tara Knott, who surprised the field in the women's 105-pound division, was awarded first place Friday after winner Izabela Dragneva tested positive for furosemide, a diuretic banned by the International Olympic Committee.

Dragneva is one of three Bulgarian weightlifters stripped of medals for doping. The bronze medalist in the men's 137-pound bronze division, Sevdalin Minchev, was disqualified Friday. Ivan Ivanov, the silver medalist in the men's 123-pound class, lost his medal Wednesday.

Dragneva's departure means Knott gets the gold and Raema Lisa Rumbewas of Indonesia the silver. Indonesia's Sri Indriyani, who finished fourth, now has a bronze medal. In Ivanov's division, Wu Wenxiong of China now earns the silver medal, while Gennady Oleshchuk of Belarus moves up to bronze medal status

Colombia Wins First-Ever Gold
In the women's 165-pound category, Maria Isabel Urrutia produced Colombia's first-ever Olympic gold medal in any sport. Urrutia won her gold on the basis of bodyweight. She was the lightest of three competitors who lifted identical overall totals. The slightly heavier Ruth Ogbeifo of Nigeria won the silver and Taiwan's Kuo Yi-Hang got the bronze. The weight difference between gold and silver medalists was about two pounds.

China Grabs Two More Golds
Even a world-record performance by her opponent couldn't stop China's Lin Weining from taking a gold medal in women's weightlifting Tuesday. Hungary's Erzsebet Markus set a world record for 157-pound competitors by putting up 274 3/4 pounds in the snatch. But Lin countered by hoisting 292 pounds in the clean-and-jerk portion of the competition. That gave her enough total weight to win the title. Markus got the silver medal and Karnam Malleswari of India won the bronze.

In the other gold medal final of the day, Lin's countrywoman Chen Ziaomin edged Valentina Popova of Russia in the women's 139-pound division. Chen set two new world marks, lifting 248 pounds in the snatch and posting an overall total of 529 pounds. Popova failed at two attempts to set a world record in the clean-and-jerk. The bronze went to Ioanna Chatziioannou of Greece.

Mendivil Gives Mexico First Gold
Mexico has its first-ever gold in Olympic weightlifting. Soraya Jimenez Mendivil won a tight battle with North Korea's Song Hui Ri Monday in the women's 128-pound division, lifting a combined total of 490 1/2 pounds -- about five pounds more than Ri. Thailand's Khassaraporn Suta claimed the bronze medal. North Korean officials protested the outcome without success, saying Ri failed to attempt a key lift in the time allowed because a judge blocked her view of the clock.

In the women's 116-pound class, Yang Xia of China powered her way to gold, beating out Li Feng-ying of Taiwan and Winarni Slamet of Indonesia. Yang set three world records in lifting a total of 496 pounds -- five pounds more than Mendivil in the weight class ahead of her.

Pechalov Ends 'Hercules' Streak
A fourth straight Olympic gold medal eluded Turkey's Naim Suleymanoglu in the men's 135-pound division. The man they call "Pocket Hercules" finished out of medal contention. The gold medalist for 2000 is Nikolay Pechalov of Croatia, who produced a combined lift of 717 pounds. Leonidas Sabanis of Greece took silver, while Gennady Oleschchuk of Belarus took the bronze.

Second Gold Medal for Turkey's Mutlu
Halil Mutlu of Turkey kicked off the weightlifting competition by winning his second Olympic gold medal in a dominating performance. The 123-pounder -- who stands not quite five feet tall -- lifted a total of 672-1/4 pounds Saturday to break his own world record. He finished 27 pounds ahead of silver medalist Ivan Ivanov of Bulgaria. Wenxiong Wu of China won the bronze.

About Weightlifting
It's a certainty that 15 new Olympic records will be set in the weightlifting competition at Sydney. That's because the men's weight divisions have been revised for 2000 -- and for the first time ever, a women's Olympic competition will be held. The sport itself has been around since the first modern Olympics in 1896.

Men will compete in eight weight classes, down from 10. They range from about 123 pounds to 231 pounds and over. Women compete in seven divisions, from 105 pounds to 165-pounds-plus. There are two basic events. In the snatch, the weighted bar is lifted over the head in one movement. In the clean and jerk, the bar is lifted to a resting place at shoulder height, then pushed above the head. In both cases a lift is considered legitimate when the arms are fully extended, the body is still and the feet are in line.
For years the dominant figures in weightlifting were Soviets - especially the popular super heavyweight competition. But two Greek lifters will be much in evidence this time around. Pyrros Dimas and Akakios Kakhiasvilis will both be going for their third straight Olympic gold medals. Among the superheavyweights, Russian Andrei Chemerkin will return to defend his gold medal and better the world record in the clean and jerk (266 kilograms, or roughly 585 pounds). Chemerkin tips the scales at better than 375 pounds.

Greece, Bulgaria, China, Turkey, Poland and Ukraine have qualified weightlifters in every men's division.

On the women's side, Chinese and Taiwanese women are expected to compete for the gold in every weight class. Lifters from Bulgaria, Thailand, Nigeria and the United States should be competitive in several divisions.