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First elected to the IWF Executive Board in 1964, at the age of 40, Gottfried Schödl then became Vice-President in 1968, and in 1972, he was chosen to lead our International Federation. Until the end of his presidency, in 2000, he will become the longest-serving leader in the history of the IWF, a 28-year reign marked by many changes in the sport. Born in 1924 in Vienna, he began his sports career as a skater but switched to weightlifting during his teenage years. If his athlete’s career went unnoticed, his administrator skills were notorious: as President of the Austrian Federation, he was namely responsible for the organisation of the 1954 and 1961 editions of the World Championships, taking place in Vienna. On August 25, 1972 within the frame of the Olympic Games in Munich (GER), delegates at the Electoral Congress chose Schödl (photo: Schödl, right, and Johnson, left, in 1992) by a tiny difference of one vote (the Austrian had 32, while Clarence Johnson, President since 1960, collected 31). In the book he wrote, ‘The Lost Past: A Story of the International Weightlifting Federation’, he recalls that “private turning point” in his life: “Incredible: how often had I been a passive witness of such elections, and now there I was, myself involved up to my ears as a candidate to the highest position in the International Federation”. A highly-respect leader – he was nicknamed “Mr Weightlifting” and considered “an absolute gentleman” – Schödl’s highlights during his long tenure as President include: the official name of the Federation was set as ‘International Weightlifting Federation’, the Press movement was abolished, the women made their entry into the IWF and Olympic programme, and as a stronger promoter of clean sport he decisively introduced an anti-doping strategy into the IWF activities. Also a prolific writer, Schödl attended 11 Olympic Games and 46 World Championships. He passed away in April 2020, aged 95.