Phil Grippaldi (USA): Toronto, 1976
History in Color:
February 29, 1976, Toronto, Canada – 3x Olympian of Team U.S.A., Phil Grippaldi competes in the middle heavyweight at the Pre-Olympic weightlifting meet in West Toronto.
Phil Grippaldi (b. 1946) was one of the most talented and popular U.S. Olympic weightlifters in the 1970s.
He competed in the 90kg weight class and had an impressive look of a bodybuilder and strength of an Olympic weightlifter.
Grippaldi grew up in New Jersey. When he was a kid, he was introduced into bodybuilding routines by one of his neighbors. At 16, little Phil was 5’5″ and had a 19″ biceps.
Grippaldi’s coaches in weightlifting were Butch Toth of the Keasbey Eagles weightlifting club and Michael Huszka of the Magnificent Seven (legendary Team Hungary Weightlifting of 1960s)
Phil Grippaldi managed to win 6 titles at the USA National championships (1967, 1968, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1977), won 3 Pan American Games (1967, 1971, 1975) and competed for Team USA Weightlifting at three Olympics. He took the 7th place in Mexico City in 1968 and the 4th place in Munich in 1972.
At the 1970 World Championship in Columbus, OH, Phil Grippaldi won the silver medal finishing secong after Vasily Kolotov of the USSR.