Anderson, Paul E.

Weightlifting

b. Oct. 17, 1932, Toccoa, GA
d. Aug. 15, 1994

Although his competitive career was very brief, Anderson may have been the best American weightlifter ever. He won the U. S. heavyweight championship in 1955 and 1956. After winning the world championship by a record margin of 82 pounds, he was strongly favored for the 1956 Olympic gold medal. He had a hard time winning it, at least partly he was recovering from strep throat.

Needing 187.5 kilograms in his third lift to match Humberto Selvetti of Argentina, Anderson failed twice but made the lift on his third and final try. He won the medal because he weighed thirteen pounds less than Selvetti.

Anderson went on to set many records as a professional powerlifter, including a bench press of 627 pounds, a squat of 1,200, and a dead lift of 820. On June 12, 1957, he lifted the greatest weight ever, 6,270 pounds in a back lift off trestles.