Nineteen-year-old Austin Community College student Mark Henry won three United States junior Olympic weightlifting championships (1993, 1994, and 1997). Henry, from Silsbee, Texas, in his first-year ACC student set a new record in the “snatch,” which is one of two Olympic weightlifing events where the contestant stands above the barbell and lifts the entire weight to a position above the head with arms fully extended, or 342.1 pounds in Henry’s event. The other type of Olympic lift is the “clean and jerk,” where the lifter raises the barbell to shoulder height and then jerks it to arms length above the head. In addition to Henry, ACC/Longhorn team-member Kerri Ann Hamebrink finished first in the 148.5-pound class and the team finished in second place overall. ACC/Longhorn also got a second-place finish from Dee Ann Plato in the 132-pound class and a third-place finish in the 56-kilogram class from Sandy Ricker.
ACC’s Olympic Weightlifting Champion
