Weightlifting: Liu Huanhua (CHN) wins men’s 102kg gold!
Liu is simply a cut above!
The 2023 world champion hit a 186kg snatch to share the lead with Garik Karapetyan (ARM) heading into the clean & jerk portion of the competition, and only needed one attempt there to stick a monster 220kg lift, giving him a 406kg total that would not be beaten.
Safe in the knowledge that the gold was his, Liu decided to stick 233kg in the bar in an attempt to break in his own world record in the lift (232kg, set in April this year) and total (413kg).
You could hear a pin drop inside South Paris Arena 6 as the 22-year-old stepped to the platform, but although Liu managed to stand up the clean after a herculean effort, he simply didn’t have enough strength left to stick the jerk – despite the best efforts of a raucous crowd cheering him on.
Still, he walks away as the Olympic champion!
🥇Liu Huanhua (CHN): 406kg
🥈Akbar Djuraev (UZB): 404kg
🥉Yauheni Tsikhantsou (AIN): 402kg