Weightlifting Day Ahead – Heaviest discipline to close out the competition schedule in Tokyo

Who’s on the mat

The men’s 109kg+ event.

What to look out for

Weightlifting’s heaviest discipline will also be the last on this year’s Olympic program. Georgian reigning world champion and world record holder Lasha Talakhadze is the heavy favorite to win gold. For the other medals, expect Iran’s Ali Davoudi, Syria’s Man Asaad and Algeria’s Walid Bidani to be the main contenders. Caine Wilkes from the United States is also one to watch, as he will be making his Olympic debut at the age of 34 after a 20-year career.

Competition schedule (Japan Standard Time)

♦ 1:50pm: +109kg Group B

♦ 7:50pm: +109kg Group A

Story of the day

While reigning world champion Simon Martirosyan started strongly in yesterday’s men’s 109kg event by winning the snatch, 21-year-old Akbar Djuraev of Uzbekistan overtook him in the clean and jerk, setting an Olympic record in the process. Djuraev thus won his country’s second gold medal at Tokyo, while Martirosyan repeated his silver medal from Rio 2016. Latvia’s Artūrs Plēsnieks prevailed in a close race for the bronze, with three lifters separated by two kilograms.

Medal count as of August 2nd

1. China: 7 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze

2. Ecuador: 1 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze

3. Chinese Taipei: 1 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze

4. Canada: 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze

4. Philippines: 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze

4. Qatar: 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze

4. Uzbekistan: 1 gold, 0 silver, 0 bronze

8. Venezuela: 0 gold, 2 silver, 0 bronze

9. Indonesia: 0 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze

9. Italy: 0 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze

11. Dominican Republic: 0 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze

11. United States: 0 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze

13. Armenia: 0 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze

13. Colombia: 0 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze

13. Great Britain: 0 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze

13. India: 0 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze

13. Turkmenistan: 0 gold, 1 silver, 0 bronze

18. Kazakhstan: 0 gold, 0 silver, 2 bronze

19. Georgia: 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze

19. Japan: 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze

19. Latvia: 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze

19. Mexico: 0 gold, 0 silver, 1 bronze

Media Watch

♦ San Francisco local Kuinini Manumua, 8th in the women’s 87kg event, talks about representing her parents’ small island of Tonga, with a population of just 105,000.

♦ Transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard of New Zealand, having failed to register a lift in competition, exits her Olympic journey with class.

♦ For more news about the Tokyo 2020 weightlifting competition, visit the IWF’s new website.

Latest odds

Check the odds on men’s +109kg here.

Where to follow

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Compiled by ATR staff

This article is brought to you by the International Weightlifting Federation