IWF120y/116 – 2021: Shi Zhiyong (CHN) completes nine years of invincibility with gold in Tokyo
From 2012 until 2021, Shi Zhiyong, from China, had a perfect record in all international events he took part in: each participation had been the synonym of a gold medal! Born in October 1993, his success story started at the 2012 Asian Championships, where he was the best in the 69kg category (144-180-324). He then competed in heavier categories, but always topped the podium – the first continental victory was followed by three subsequent ones in 2016, 2019, and 2021. At the world level, he also displayed his supremacy in the IWF showcases of 2015, 2018, and 2019. At the Olympics, he had no problems beating the rest of the field in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020ne (photo). In Brazil (69kg category), he lifted 162-190-352 for the gold, while in Japan (73kg), he was crowned champion with a 166-198-364 performance. At the end of 2021, he got an injury in the back and returned back to competition in December 2023, at the IWF Grand Prix, one of the qualification events for the Paris 2024 Games. He was a silver medallist, an outcome he replicated some months later at the IWF World Cup in Phuket (THA). With a qualification total of 165-191-356, he was behind Rizki Juniansyah (INA), who arrived in Paris with a 164-201-365 performance also from the Thai event. In the French capital, all eyes were set on the 73kg event, where Shi could eventually join the very restricted club of lifters with three Olympic victories. In the end, the Chinese star led the Snatch portion of the competition by 10kg (165kg, against 155kg for the Indonesian ace), but then failed all his Clean & Jerk attempts at 191kg. Juniansyah lifted 199kg and got the gold in the French capital with a total of 354kg.
