SALIMIKORDASIABI Behdad (IRI)
Men’s +105kg “My first goal was to get the Gold Medal; the second was to break Records. In the future, I’ll take on the Records as
TOROKHTIY Oleksiy (UKR)
Men’s 105kg “As of the moment you start preparing yourself for the Olympics, you feel the pressure. It’s all gone when you go on stage and touch the
Behdad leads Iran one-two
Behdad Salimikordasiabi added the Olympic crown to his world and Asian titles as he triumphed in the men's +105kg and brought the curtain down on Weightlifting at London 2012. Salimikordasiabi, from Iran, was the favourite for victory and the super heavyweight rose to the occasion to confirm his title as the 'strongest lifter in the world'. The 22-year-old managed a total of 455kg, which was not enough to eclipse the mammoth 472kg world and Olympic record managed by legendary compatriot Hossein Rezazadeh in 2000, but it did clinch Iran's first Weightlifting gold since 2004. And the vast numbers of Iranian fans inside ExCeL were afforded further delight after Sajjad Anoushiravani (449kg) took silver, with Russia's Ruslan Albegov (448kg) going home with bronze. Beijing 2008 gold medallist Matthias Steiner was denied the chance to defend his crown after he was forced to withdraw following an injury. Making his second snatch attempt of 196kg, Steiner was unable to raise the weights fully and, falling back, could not help but drop the bar down on to his head and then shoulder. Steiner thankfully managed to walk off stage but forfeited his third attempt to receive treatment, and it was later announced that he would not be able to continue and headed to hospital for a routine
Torokhtiy late show earns gold
Oleksiy Torokhtiy claimed Olympic gold for Ukraine after an enthralling men's 105kg category which went right down to the wire at ExCeL. Navab Nasirshelal looked to have taken the gold medal from Poland's Bartlomiej Wojciech Bonk, only for Torokhtiy to clean and jerk 227kg with his final lift. It meant Nasirshelal, bidding to become the first Iranian to claim gold since the legendary Hossein Rezazadeh in 2004, had to make his final lift - and the last of the competition - of 229kg. But he failed to even raise it to his shoulders, meaning Torokhtiy (412kg total) took the honours by the narrowest of margins and pushed Nasirshelal (411kg) into silver and Bonk (410kg) to
ZHOU Lulu (CHN)
Women’s +75kg "Before I lift I shout Fung Song - Relax. I tell myself to relax so that I can lift the weights
Records tumble as Zhou takes gold
China's Zhou Lulu edged a dramatic heavyweight tussle with Russia's Tatiana Kashirina to claim gold as almost all the women's +75kg Olympic and world records were smashed at ExCeL this afternoon. Kashirina, conceding 28kg in bodyweight to her rival, took the initiative as she became the first woman to snatch over 150kg. But Zhou hit back to equal the world best clean and jerk of 187kg - the only record still standing after a crunch clash - and triumph in dramatic fashion by just a single kilogram overall. Zhou's total of 333kg breaks her own previous world best by a clear five kilos and adds the Olympic title to the world crown she claimed in Paris last November, where she also pushed four-time European champion Kashirina into second place. Such was the dominance of the leading duo that a total of 294kg claimed bronze for Armenia's Hripsime Khurshudyan, who edged out 2008 gold medallist Jang Mi-Ran
