# Weightlifting at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Men's 90 kg

The men's 90 kg weightlifting competitions at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki took place on 27 July at Messuhalli. It was the first appearance of the middle heavyweight class (or, as it was listed in the 1952 Official Report, the "heavy lightweight" class). Previously all weightlifters above the light heavyweight (82.5 kg) class competed together in the heavyweight class; this new middle heavyweight class featured weightlifters between 82.5 kg and 90 kg.
Each weightlifter had three attempts at each of the three lifts. The best score for each lift was summed to give a total. The weightlifter could increase the weight between attempts (minimum of 5 kg between first and second attempts, 2.5 kg between second and third attempts) but could not decrease weight. If two or more weightlifters finished with the same total, the competitors' body weights were used as the tie-breaker (lighter athlete wins).

## Records

Prior to this competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.
| World record | Press | Grigory Novak (URS) | 143 kg | | 1952 |
| World record | Snatch | Norbert Schemansky (USA) | 133.5 kg | Milan, Italy | 28 October 1951 |
| World record | Clean & Jerk | Norbert Schemansky (USA) | 175 kg | Milan, Italy | 28 October 1951 |
| World record | Total | Norbert Schemansky (USA) | 427.5 kg | Milan, Italy | 28 October 1951 |
| Olympic record | Press | New event | – | – | – |
| Olympic record | Snatch | New event | – | – | – |
| Olympic record | Clean & Jerk | New event | – | – | – |
| Olympic record | Total | New event | – | – | – |

## Results

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Body weight | Press (kg) | Press (kg) | Press (kg) | Press (kg) | Snatch (kg) | Snatch (kg) | Snatch (kg) | Snatch (kg) | Clean & Jerk (kg) | Clean & Jerk (kg) | Clean & Jerk (kg) | Clean & Jerk (kg) | Total |
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Body weight | 1 | 2 | 3 | Result | 1 | 2 | 3 | Result | 1 | 2 | 3 | Result | Total |
| | Norbert Schemansky | United States | 90.00 | 122.5 | 127.5 | 130 | 127.5 | 130 | 135 | 140 142.5 | 140 WR | 165 | 172.5 | 177.5 182.5 | 177.5 WR | 445 WR |
| | Grigory Novak | Soviet Union | 87.95 | 140 | 145 | 145 | 140 OR | 125 | 125 | 125 | 125 | 145 | 150 | — | 145 | 410 |
| | Lennox Kilgour | Trinidad and Tobago | 89.40 | 120 | 125 | 130 | 125 | 112.5 | 120 | 122.5 | 120 | 147.5 | 155 | 157.5 | 157.5 | 402.5 |
| 4 | Mohamed Ibrahim Saleh | Egypt | 89.25 | 110 | 115 | 115 | 110 | 117.5 | 122.5 | 125 | 125 | 150 | 160 | 162.5 | 162.5 | 397.5 |
| 5 | Firouz Pojhan | Iran | 87.95 | 112.5 | 117.5 | 117.5 | 112.5 | 120 | 120 | 125 | 120 | 150 | 155 | 160 | 155 | 387.5 |
| 6 | Ken McDonald | Australia | 88.75 | 107.5 | 112.5 | 112.5 | 107.5 | 115 | 120 | 125 | 125 | 152.5 | 170 | 170 | 152.5 | 385 |
| 7 | Héctor Rensonnet | Argentina | 87.35 | 102.5 | 107.5 | 107.5 | 107.5 | 112.5 | 117.5 | 117.5 | 112.5 | 145 | 150 | 152.5 | 150 | 370 |
| 8 | Theunis Jonck | South Africa | 89.30 | 112.5 | 117.5 | 117.5 | 112.5 | 105 | 110 | 115 | 110 | 140 | 145 | 150 | 145 | 367.5 |
| 9 | Luciano Zardi | Italy | 89.75 | 95 | 100 | 105 | 100 | 110 | 115 | 117.5 | 117.5 | 140 | 145 | 150 | 150 | 367.5 |
| 10 | Kai Outa | Finland | 87.45 | 102.5 | 107.5 | 110 | 107.5 | 110 | 115 | 115 | 110 | 132.5 | 142.5 | 147.5 | 147.5 | 365 |
| 11 | Börje Jeppsson | Sweden | 89.70 | 107.5 | 112.5 | 115 | 112.5 | 102.5 | 107.5 | 107.5 | 107.5 | 137.5 | 142.5 | 147.5 | 142.5 | 362.5 |
| 12 | Jorge Soto | Puerto Rico | 89.05 | 107.5 | 112.5 | 112.5 | 107.5 | 102.5 | 110 | 110 | 110 | 140 | 145 | 145 | 140 | 357.5 |
| 13 | Jørgen Barth-Jørgensen | Norway | 89.80 | 100 | 105 | 105 | 100 | 112.5 | 120 | 120 | 112.5 | 135 | 142.5 | 145 | 142.5 | 355 |
| 14 | Bruno Barabani | Brazil | 89.95 | 92.5 | 97.5 | 102.5 | 97.5 | 107.5 | 112.5 | 112.5 | 112.5 | 140 | 145 | 150 | 145 | 355 |
| 15 | Jens Jørn Mortensen | Denmark | 89.55 | 95 | 100 | 102.5 | 102.5 | 100 | 107.5 | 107.5 | 100 | 135 | 142.5 | 147.5 | 142.5 | 345 |
| 16 | Gheorghe Piţicaru | Romania | 89.95 | 90 | 95 | 97.5 | 95 | 97.5 | 102.5 | 102.5 | 102.5 | 127.5 | 132.5 | 135 | 132.5 | 330 |
| 17 | Melville Barnett | Great Britain | 89.55 | 117.5 | 117.5 | 117.5 | 117.5 | 110 | 115 | 115 | 110 | 142.5 | 142.5 | 142.5 | — | 227.5 |
| 18 | László Buronyi | Hungary | 89.10 | 105 | 105 | 110 | 110 | 110 | 115 | 115 | 110 | — | — | — | — | 220 |
| 19 | Kamineni Eswara Rao | India | 89.40 | 107.5 | 112.5 | 112.5 | 107.5 | 97.5 | 97.5 | 105 | 105 | 130 | 130 | 130 | — | 212.5 |
| 20 | Robert Allart | Belgium | 90.00 | 110 | 115 | 115 | 110 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 110 |

## New records

Because the weight class was new to the Olympics, there was certain to be an initial Olympic record in each lift as well as the total. Schemansky, however, broke his own world records from the 1951 World Weightlifting Championships in two of the lifts as well as the combined score. Novak, who had set the world record in the press earlier in the year at 143 kg, was not able to match that score but still led handily in that lift at 140 kg (12.5 kg over Schemansky's second-place 127.5 kg).
| Press | 140 kg | Grigory Novak (URS) | OR |
| Snatch | 140 kg | Norbert Schemansky (USA) | WR |
| Clean & Jerk | 177.5 kg | Norbert Schemansky (USA) | WR |
| Total | 445 kg | Norbert Schemansky (USA) | WR |