U.S. OLYMPIC FESTIVAL LOS ANGELES 1991 : WEIGHTLIFTING : Fuhrman Breaks Three Women’s Records

There was a stage, there was a Fuhrman and there were 20 family members and friends watching. Nobody left disappointed.

The spotlight fell on one person Saturday in weightlifting at the U.S. Olympic Festival, which is exactly the way that clan likes it. Diana Fuhrman, a graduate of Van Nuys High who now lives in Simi Valley, dominated the second day of competition as she dominated the 148 3/4-pound class, setting national records for snatch, clean and jerk and combined weight.

“I just wanted to please them,” she said of her fans in the seats of UCLA’s Royce Hall. “The whole Fuhrman family is basically hams, anyway. Going out on stage, you have to love to perform.”

Fuhrman wouldn’t rate her showing as virtuoso, however, saying she was disappointed by missing 253 1/2 pounds on the final two clean-and-jerk attempts. So she settled for the three-for-three performance and breaking all of her U.S. marks, at 243 1/2 in the jerk, 203 3/4 in the snatch and 440 3/4 for the total under a complicated combined-scoring procedure.

A few hours earlier, Melanie Getz also broke an American record and begrudgingly accepted the reward.

“I don’t want to be a specialist in the snatch,” Getz said. “I want to be one of the best all-around Olympic lifters. I’m not satisfied. I think that’s what drives me.”

All the way to the brink of disgust while winning a gold medal in the 123 1/4-pound class. But there she was, atop the podium, a batch of flowers and a scowl.

Not to mention her second consecutive Olympic Festival gold. “I’ll stick it in a closet and shut the door,” Getz said.

The reason for the ire was that, after she broke her record on her second attempt in the snatch, at 166 1/4 pounds, her total after the clean and jerk came to only 341 1/2, less than her year-old Festival standard.

“It’s the total,” Getz said. “It’s a self-improvement thing. I can go out and get a medal. But that and the record won’t mean anything at the world championships. I’m trying to be positive, but it’s difficult. I’m better than I showed today.”

So is Giselle Shepatin, a San Francisco native and 1991 national champion in the 132 1/4-pound division, but empty handed Saturday after three failed attempts at 170 3/4 in the snatch.

Tim McRae made the Festival record book three times to win the men’s 148 3/4-pound class: a clean and jerk of 358, a total of 633 3/4 and, a mark he would soon have to share with second-place finisher Vernon Patao, 275 1/2 in the snatch.

Dean Goad scored his first major victory in winning the 181 3/4-pound division, beating veteran Tony Urrutia, the top-ranked U.S. lifter in the class.