Norbert Schemansky

Norbert Schemansky (May 30, 1924 – September 7, 2016) was an American weightlifter. He was the first weightlifter to win four Olympic medals, despite missing the 1956 Summer Olympics due to back problems. He won a silver medal in the 1948 Summer Olympic Games, a gold in the 1952 Summer Olympics and bronzes in the 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympics.

Norbert Schemansky

Schemansky at the 1964 Olympics
Personal information
Nickname	Norb
Born	(1924-05-30)May 30, 1924 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Died	September 7, 2016(2016-09-07) (aged 92) Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.
Height	181 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	90–121 kg (198–267 lb)
Sport
Sport	Olympic weightlifting
Events	Clean and press Snatch Clean and jerk
Club	York Barbell Club
Turned pro	1947
Retired	1972
Medal record Representing the  United States Olympic Games 1952 Helsinki 90 kg 1948 London +90 kg 1960 Rome +90 kg 1964 Tokyo +90 kg World Championships 1947 Philadelphia +82.5kg 1951 Milan 90kg 1953 Stockholm 90kg 1954 Vienna +90kg 1962 Budapest +90kg 1963 Stockholm +90kg Pan American Games 1955 Mexico City +90kg

Biography

Schemansky was a three-time world champion and a Pan American and Olympic games gold medalist. During his long weightlifting career (1947–1972) he set 13 official and 11 unofficial world records.^[1] On April 28, 1962, at the age of 37 years and 333 days, Schemansky became the oldest man in the history of weightlifting to set an official world record, when he snatched 164 kg.^[2] In 1997 Schemansky was inducted into the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of fame.^[3][4] In 1979, he was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. He was born and raised in Detroit and from 1959 until his death in 2016 lived in Dearborn, Michigan, where a city park was named for him. Prior to his years of Olympic weightlifting competition, Schemansky served in World War II with the 184th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion and fought at the Battle of the Bulge. Schemansky died in Dearborn on September 7, 2016, at the age of 92, while in hospice care.^[5][6]

References

1. Norbert Schemansky @ Lift Up Hall of Fame. Chidlovski.net. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
2. Guinness World Records 2004 Copyright 2003
3. "Weightlifting Hall of Fame". International Weightlifting Federation. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
4. Norb Schemansky. sports-reference.com
5. Steckroth, John (September 7, 2016). "Four-time Olympian, Dearborn native Norbert 'Norb' Schemansky dead at age 92". WDIV. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
6. Litsky, Frank; McDonald, William (September 9, 2016). "Norbert Schemansky, Who Won Weight-Lifting Gold but Little Applause Back Home, Dies at 92". The New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2019.