Weightlifting 4:
Women and Weightlifting
Although there were a few female "strongmen" during the 19th century, the true pioneer of weightlifting for women was Ivy Russell of England. She began training with weights in 1921, when she was 14.
By 1930, she was well known for her strength and she frequently gave exhibitions. In a letter published in the May 1932 issue of Health and Strength magazine, she urged the British Amateur Weight Lifting Association to sanction competition for women.
As a result, the BAWLA did conduct a woman's championship, which Russell won. That contest didn't create a sudden boom in women's weightlifting, though.
In the United States, Bob Hoffman and his Strength and Health magazine consistently promoted weight training, but not competition, for women, beginning in the 1930s.
Women kind of entered through the back door, via bodybuilding and powerlifting. The Miss Universe bodybuilding contest came first, in 1965. The first world powerlifting championships was held in 1980.
Seven years later, the International Weightlifting Federation staged its first world championships. Weightlifting events for women were added to the Olympic program in 2000.
There are currently eight weight classifications for men and seven for women.