PARIS (AP) — Li Fabin of China defended his Olympic weightlifting title on Wednesday, winning the men’s 61-kilogram division, while…
PARIS (AP) — Li Fabin of China defended his Olympic weightlifting title on Wednesday, winning the men’s 61-kilogram division, while Hampton Morris became the first American man to earn a weightlifting medal at the Games in four decades.
After going into the competition as the overwhelming favorite to repeat, the 31-year-old Li set a Games snatch record by lifting 143 kilograms (315 pounds) on his third and final attempt. That paved the way to gold for Li, who set the top Olympic snatch and overall marks in this category three years ago when winning in Tokyo.
Already with a big lead, Li lifted 167 kilograms (368 pounds) in the clean and jerk to seal it with a score of 310.
Morris got the bronze medal, failing on a world record attempt in the clean and jerk but ending up at 303. The last U.S. men’s weightlifting medalists were Mario Martinez and Guy Carlton in the 1984 Los Angeles Games.
Theerapong Silachai of Thailand got the silver for medal.
Morris slipped on his first clean and jerk attempt. The 20-year-old slid the bar forward a few feet on his second try, which was successful at 172kg.
Four-time Olympic medalist Eko Yuli Irawan of Indonesia, the oldest weightlifter in the category at age 35, injured his right hip or leg on his unsuccessful final lift. He limped off with assistance after failing to make a lift in the clean and jerk, preventing him from extending his lead as his country’s most decorated Olympian.
The 61kg (134.48 pound) class is one of just five at the Paris Games after a reclassification and reduction from seven divisions in Tokyo. The start of the first event was delayed more than 20 minutes because of unspecified technical maintenance.
American Jourdan Delacruz competes in the women’s 49-kilogram division later Wednesday. Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Hou Zhihui of China is considered the weightlifter to beat.
China also has top contenders Luo Shifang in the women’s 59kg and Shi Zhiyong in men’s 73kg on Thursday and Li Wenwen in the women’s +81kg on Sunday, when weightlifting wraps up.
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