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Edward Lawrence Levy, a bald and bespectacled 40 year old choir-master from Birmingham, became the first ever winner of an international weightlifting contest at Cafe Monaco in London on 28th March, 1891.\xa0\nThe event was an attempt to separate the serious sport of dumbbell lifting from the popular performing \u2018strongmen\u2019 at sideshows and variety halls, but it did not immediately take hold: the competition was described by the newspaper Sporting Life as \u201cvery slow\u201d.\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly recall the career of \u2018perfect human specimen\u2019 Eugen Sandow; dig into the movement for muscular Judaism; and work out exactly how Levy would fare in a modern Olympic competition\u2026\xa0\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 \u2018The Untold History of the First Weightlifting Competition\u2019 (BarBend, 2019): https://barbend.com/history-first-weightlifting-competition/\n\u2022 \u2018This Hebrew School Teacher Was the First World Weightlifting Champ\u2019 (National Library of Israel, 2021): https://blog.nli.org.il/en/lbh-el-levy/\n\u2022 \u2018The History of Weightlifting\u2019 (Bodytribe, 2013):: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9moGJHmJyg\nImage: Levy with his 1891 British Amateur Championship trophy. From\xa0E. Lawrence Levy and Muscular Judaism, 1851-1932, part of the National Library of Israel collection\nFor bonus material and to support the show, visit\xa0Patreon.com/Retrospectors\nWe'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:\xa0podfollow.com/Retrospectors\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices