2013 Arnold Weightlifting Championships to Welcome International Athletes, World and Pan American Team Qualifier for USA Weightlifting
Columbus, OH – The Arnold Weightlifting Championships, one of over 40 sports and events held annually in downtown Columbus as part of the Arnold Sports Festival, will host weightlifters from every continent on the planet (well, except Antarctica) from March 1-3 as part of the 2013 event and is currently slated as one of only two qualifying events for the 2013 World Weightlifting Championships and Pan American Championships for USA Weightlifting. The other qualifying event is the 2013 National Weightlifting Championships, also to be held in Ohio, in August.
“Every year we strive to offer a bigger and better event for our athletes, coaches, and spectators,” says Mark Cannella, Chairman of the Arnold Weightlifting Championships and President of Columbus Weightlifting, the event’s host club since its inception into the Sports Festival in 2003. “Hosting the Olympic Team Trials for Weightlifting at the Arnold Sports Festival last year was a major milestone for us and certainly set a high bar to beat in 2013. But we are confident the event we’re building this year will do that.”
The 2013 Arnold Weightlifting Championships is likely the only competition in the world outside of the Olympics or World Championships to include athletes from both North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. “Not to mention the qualifier portion that will showcase the very best weightlifters in the United States,” adds Cannella. “It’s shaping up to be a very special few days of lifting.”
In addition to showcasing world-class lifters from Canada to Ecuador, Colombia to Cameroon, the 2013 Arnold Weightlifting Championships has also reserved two special sessions on Friday evening for CrossFitters only. “CrossFit is arguably the best thing ever to have happened to weightlifting in the United States,” says Rachel Crass, co-director of the event. “The sport’s popularity is booming, and the lifts are on television again. It’s incredible. We want to show the world that CrossFitters can not only perform the lifts, but they can perform them well, with solid technique and competitive weights. We want to show the world what CrossFitters can do with the quick lifts.”
The Arnold Weightlifting Championships has grown over the past ten years into one of the International Weightlifting Federation’s premier competitions. Olympians and world record holders from Russia, China, Bulgaria, Armenia, Great Britain, the Pacific Islands, and the United States have competed in Columbus since 2003 for more than $150,000 in cash, prizes, and scholarships, with more to come in 2013. For more information on the Arnold Weightlifting Championships, visit www.ColumbusWeightlifting.org.
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Contact Information
Mark Cannella
Chairman
614-832-2757
Arnold@ColumbusWeightlifting.org
Rachel Crass
Marketing
757-652-5348
Rachel@ColumbusWeightlifting.org
Media Contact
Brent LaLonde
Arnold Sports Festival
brent@arnoldexpo.com