Li Fabin defends Olympic weightlifting title
PARIS – China’s Li Fabin successfully defended his Olympic 61-kilogram weightlifting title on Wednesday, securing the first gold medal of the competition. The 31-year-old powerhouse lifted a total of 310 kilograms across the snatch and clean and jerk rounds, comfortably outclassing his rivals.
Li set a new Olympic record in the snatch with a lift of 143 kilograms, surpassing his own previous mark set at the Tokyo Games. Theerapong Silachai of Thailand claimed silver, while Hampton Morris of the United States earned bronze.
The early stages of the competition were marked by challenges for some of the top-ranked athletes, with Trinh van Vinh of Vietnam and John Ceniza of the Philippines failing to record any successful lifts in the snatch.
Li’s dominant performance highlights his status as one of the world’s leading weightlifters.
(Source: AFP)
