ILYIN Ilya (KAZ)
Men's 94kg "It's not just a gold medal for me, it's my personal
Gold heads back to Kazakhstan with Ilyin
Ilya Ilyin tonight became the first weightlifter at London 2012 to retain his Olympic title having seen off a world-class field to clinch a deserved gold in the men's 94kg. In keeping with the Weightlifting competition at ExCeL, world and Olympic records were sent tumbling as Ilyin lifted superbly to repeat his success at Beijing 2008 and claim Kazakhstan's fourth lifting gold of the Games. The 24-year-old hauled a world-beating clean and jerk of 233kg to set up a dramatic victory with 418kg. Russia's Alexandr Ivanov, who could have really piled the pressure on Ilyin only to fail the penultimate lift of 229kg, took silver with a total of 409kg. Bronze went to Moldova's Anatoli Ciricu after he was marginally lighter in bodyweight than Russia's Andrey Demanov following a tie on 407kg. Ilyin insists it is a very different personal success in London compared to his gold at Beijing 2008. 'Today I feel very, very different compared to what I was four years ago in Beijing,' he said. 'There I was four years younger and now I'm a different person. I've had different experiences and my personality has changed. The training was not that much different but the quality of my victory here is very, very different. 'As I said, I've changed, and I think last year in Paris (at the World Championships) I was already different but here, at the age of 24, I gave everything for this triumph. It's not just a gold medal for me, it's my personal
Zielinski weighs in with gold
Poland's Adrian Edward Zielinski emerged triumphant by virtue of just 130 grams in bodyweight to claim Olympic gold after a star-studded cast in the men's 85kg fell by the wayside. Zielinski, the 2010 world champion, was level with Russia's 19-year-old lifter Apti Aukhadov on a total of 385kg after a thrilling competition - but with ties decided by the pre-weigh-in, it was Zielinski who proved marginally lighter on the scales (84.62kg to 84.75kg). Current world champion Kianoush Rostami, from Iran, had to settle for bronze after failing with his final lift of 214kg, which would have tied all three men on a 385kg total. A host of lifters went into the event with a real chance of victory but that leading pack was soon cut by three. Beijing 2008 silver medallist and world and Olympic record holder Andrei Rybakou, from Belarus, failed all three snatch attempts having been hindered by what appeared to be a right leg injury, as did Iran's Asian champion Sourab Moradi and France's Benjamin Didier Hennequin. Lu Yong took a slender lead into the interval having lifted a modest 178kg in the snatch - three kilos ahead of Aukhadov, four clear of Zielinski and seven from Rostami. But China's reigning gold medallist - the only man competing from the nation's eight winners at Beijing 2008 - floundered in the clean and jerk and he too was also eliminated after failing to get close with any of his attempts to lift 205kg. That left just Aukhadov, Zielinski and Rostami. And it was Zielinski who took his place on the top spot of the podium after lifting 211kg compared to Aukhadov (210kg) and Rostami
Podobedova takes gold for Kazakhstan
Svetlana Podobedova fulfilled a dream this afternoon as she won Olympic gold for Kazakhstan having seen off the threat from her two dominant Russian rivals. In a dramatic women's 75kg, Podobedova clinched gold with the final lift of the competition to deny Natalya Zabolotnaya - triumphing on bodyweight alone after the pair tied with a total of 291kg, smashing the Olympic record. Reigning world champion Nadezda Evstyukhina had earlier caused surprise when she tumbled out having failed with all three snatch attempts. Bronze went to Belarus' Iryna Kulesha, who came out with a 269kg
ZIELINSKI Adrian (POL)
Men’s 85kg “There were more Polish people in the arena than in the city where I live. It gave me a big
PODOBEDOVA Svetlana (KAZ)
Women’s 75kg “I worked hard for this win and all the effort paid
