Long Qingquan put in a record-breaking display to win gold in the men’s 56kg weightlifting.
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The 56kg division was the first to hand out medals for men, and the final delivered drama that will be hard to top.
The 25-year-old Long, the 2008 Olympic gold medallist, overcame a stiff challenge from defending champion Om Yun Chaol of North Korea, reports Xinhua.
Long was undaunted and loaded the bar with 170kg for the final lift of the night to break Om’s two-minute-old Olympic record and clinch his second gold medal in the event.
The pressure was back on the Chinese lifter, but he responded with a second effort of 166kg to move ahead by five kilograms, and Om, under even greater pressure, found the Olympic record weight of 169kg too much for him as his legs wobbled and buckled under duress.
China’s elite weightlifter Long Qingquan finished an outstanding Olympic gold double when he claimed the men’s 56kg event at the ongoing Rio Games on Sunday.
Also on the podium was Thailand’s Sinphet Kruaithong who took the bronze with a combined 289kg lift.
“I am really happy, I am really proud”, said Long. I came to this competition with two dreams: “to win the competition and break the world record and I did both”, Long said after winning on Sunday.
Fan-favorite Om, who won gold at London 2012, was his trademark lively self throughout, smiling and waving at spectators and punching the air in celebration after every successful lift. Eight years later and I’m married and I’m going to be a father. I was hoping for gold.
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“I didn’t expect that Long could lift 170kg, because he never succeeded in practice this year”, said Yu. “He was incredible today”.
