Artūrs Sliede - 210 kg! (interview)

13.11.1971 (Sports)

Riga's Dynamo athlete and National team candidate Artūrs Sliede, while participating in weightlifting demonstrations in the Lebanese capital Beirut, has set  a new Latvian record in the clean and jerk for second-heavyweight athletes - 210 kg .

Here's what he had to say about his visit to Beirut:

- We went to Lebanon with a group of national gymnasts, who also performed with exemplary demonstrations. The weightlifters were led by the well-known coach R. Plukfelders, and the team also included V. Aņikins from Riga.

Weightlifting in Lebanon is very lagging behind, so we didn't encounter any serious competition. The Lebanese do not have any international-class weightlifters, but they do have... four international-class referees in weightlifting.

I set the record in the clean and jerk while participating in demonstrations at a local college. I had been preparing for 210 kilograms for a long time, but somehow I always failed. I didn't start in the triathlon, I only did a couple of sets in the bench press. While setting the record, I slightly sprained my knee, now I will have to recover for some time.

Congratulations, Artūrs, on your new record, and we believe that by the time of the USSR Cup competition, you will be ready to compete again.

H. LASMANIS