Frank Spellman, America’s oldest Olympic gold medalist in weightlifting, is looking forward to the London Olympic games. A competitor in the 1948 London Summer Olympics, Spellman won two national championships en route to his gold medal, which included a clean and jerk middleweight record of 336.25 pounds and a record-setting total lift of 859.5 pounds.
Born in 1922, Spellman began weightlifting at the age of 17 and won the Junior National Championships in Connecticut in 1942, the Senior National Championships in France in 1947, followed by the London Summer Olympics in 1948.
“When I watch the Olympics, I feel like I’m reliving my glory years all over again,†says Spellman. “But this year is different and better somehow because the games are back in London. It was a very special part of my life and I look forward to watching what will come of these London games.â€
Spellman broke multiple world records for weightlifting throughout his career and has been inducted into the United States Weightlifting Hall of Fame, Helms Hall of Fame, Porterville Quarterback Hall of Fame and the International Jewish Hall of Fame.
Sixty-four years later, Spellman continues to exercise and weightlift at least three times a week at a gym in Gulf Breeze, Florida and mentors the gym’s owner, who teaches more than 60 athletes the proper techniques to healthy conditioning.
About Frank Spellman
Frank Spellman was born in 1922 in Malvern, Pennsylvania and began training for weightlifting at the age of 19. Spellman won the Olympic gold medal in 1948 for the middleweight division. He also broke world records and earned several titles, which resulted in his induction into numerous halls of fame. Spellman served in the army from 1942 to 1945. He currently resides with his wife in Pensacola, Florida.
–Source:Brock Communications
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