Determining the Order of Lifting at a Weightlifting Meet
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If you’re signed up for your first weightlifting meet (also known as Olympic weightlifting), it’s useful to know how the order of lifters is determined so that you’re not caught with your singlet down when it’s your turn to lift. Let’s look at the rules in order of application:
Lightest weights first: If Bob is lifting 50 kg for his next attempt and Joe is lifting 51 kg for his next attempt, then Bob will lift first. If they are attempting the same weight - say 50 kg for both of them - then we move on to Rule #2 . . .
Lowest attempt number first: If the weight is the same for both lifters, then the lifter with the lowest attempt number will lift first. Put another way, if the weight is the same, then first attempts go before second attempts, and second attempts go before third attempts. If Bob is attempting 50 kg for his second attempt and Joe is lifting 50 kg for his first attempt, then Joe will lift first. Think of it this way - the freshest, most rested lifter (i.e., the lifter who has taken the fewest attempts) lifts first. If they are both attempting the same weight on the same attempt number - say 50 kg for their second attempts - then we move on to Rule #3 . . .
Sequence of previous attempts - whoever lifted earlier is first: Now it starts to get a bit convoluted, but our sample lifters Bob and Joe will help clear things up. Suppose Bob and Joe are both attempting 50 kg for their second attempts, and Bob attempted 46 kg for his first attempt while Joe attempted 45 kg for his first attempt. Since Joe’s first attempt took place earlier than Bob’s first attempt (because it was lighter than Bob’s - see Rule #1), Joe will lift first. Again, the freshest, most rested lifter lifts first, and Joe has rested longer than Bob.
Lowest start number first: There has to be a final tie breaker somewhere, and this is it. Everyone is randomly assigned a start number* before the meet begins, and if we’ve made it this far down the list, and Bob has start number 5 and Joe has start number 8, then Bob will lift first.
You’ll get accustomed to Rule #1 very quickly, you’ll deal with Rule #2 any time you’re attempting the same weight as someone else, and you will rarely need to keep track of Rule #3. Rule #4 usually only comes into play on first attempts when two lifters are opening at the same weight.
Now that you’ve got this all figured out, go sign up for that meet!
*Each lifter is randomly assigned a lot number, and the lifter’s start number is based on this lot number.
