London 2012 Powerlifting: What to Watch

The London 2012 Powerlifting competition will take place at the ExCeL, which boasts five arenas.

Here's a rundown to help you plan what to watch at the Powerlifting competition at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

30 August

The Powerlifting events kick off at 15:00 with the men’s -48kg and women’s -40kg categories at the ExCeL, the largest venue at the London 2012 Games. Turkey’s Nazmiye Muslu set the world record in the latter with a lift of 106kg she recorded in 2010 and is determined not to miss the podium again after placing fourth at the Beijing 2008 Games.

31 August

Competition on this day includes the women’s -44kg and men’s -52kg and -56kg categories.

If you have never heard of Egypt’s Sherif Othman, look him up, because he holds the world-record lift of 205kg in the men’s -56kg category and could be a dominant force in London. The Paralympic champion will face tough competition, though, from Nigeria’s Anthony Ulonnam and China’s Jian Wang.

1 September

The women’s -48kg and -52kg will highlight the third day in Powerlifting, as Esther Oyema and Joy Onaolapo of Nigeria will look to dominate in those two categories, respectively.

But also keep your eyes on Russia’s Olesya Lafina and China’s Shianshan Shi in the women’s -48kg, which should prove to be a tight competition field.

2 September

Did anyone mention China finished atop the medal standings at the Beijing 2008 Games? The host delegation won nine gold, two silver and three bronze medals in Powerlifting, and the country’s Lei Liu will try to lead it back to dominance on this day in the men’s -67.50kg competition.

The women’s -56kg and -60kg athletes will also compete on this day.

3 September

The women’s -75kg event will include the likes of Nigeria’s Folashade Oluwafemiayo and Chinese Taipei’s Tzu-Hui Lin in a competitive field that will also draw China’s Taoying Fu and Egypt’s Amany Ali. The -75kg event on the men’s side will take place in the evening, headlined by Iran’s Ali Hosseini.

4 September

In a jam-packed day of action, the men’s -82.5kg event will kick things off at 12:00, with Egypt’s Metwaly Mathana and China’s Xiao Fei Gu expected to have podium finishes. It will be followed by competition in the women’s -82.50 and the men’s -90kg categories.

5 September

The best – or at least the biggest – has been saved for last, as the final day of the Powerlifting competition is what everyone will be waiting for. Iran’s Siamand Rahman, arguably the best in the world, will try to break the 300kg lift barrier in the men’s +100kg category during the early evening hours. Competition will also take place in the men’s -100kg and women’s +82.50kg divisions. Nigeria’s Grace Anozie holds the top world record for women with a lift of 168kg in the +82.50kg category, which she set on 25 February this year in Dubai.