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Round-up: Weightlifting sees records tumble

Weightlifting drew to a close at London 2012 with a total of 44 Olympic and world records broken during an exhilarating competition. Men's Super Heavyweight Behdad Salimikordasiabi, from Iran, claimed the final gold of 15 medals awarded at ExCeL over 11 days. The positive reception given to Weightlifting by the crowd, as well as the smooth management and execution of the events, has left an impression on the sport's controlling body. The International Weightlifting Federation said in a statement: 'We are entirely happy and satisfied with these Olympic Games at all levels and in all respects. 'The organisation overall, in particular within ExCeL and Weightlifting, was really impeccable. The technical facilities, everything was to perfection.' Salimikordasiabi's triumph in the men's +105kg confirmed his status as 'the strongest lifter in the world' as he added the Olympic Games crown to his reigning world and Asian titles. In the heaviest women's category, the +75kg, China's Zhou Lulu took gold in a dramatic tussle with Russia's Tatiana Kashirina that saw almost all the relevant Olympic and world records smashed. DPR Korea's Om Yun Chol, competing in the men's 56kg, became the first person to claim gold from the B group and only the fifth man in history to lift triple his own body weight, while Ilya Ilyin (men's 94kg) was the only lifter at London 2012 able to retain his Olympic title. It proved to be one of four golds for Kazakhstan, who, along with DPR Korea (three) challenged China's dominance as the leading Weightlifting superpower. China's tally of five golds did not match the eight they managed at Beijing 2008, but their women shone across a range of weight categories, alongside some memorable victories for other nations. Poland's Adrian Edward Zielinski claimed the narrowest of victories at the Games after he emerged triumphant ahead of Russia's Apti Aukhadov in the men's 85kg by the virtue of just 130g in bodyweight after both tied on a total of 385kg. And it became evident afterwards by comparing the pair's food intake that gold and silver may have been separated by as little as a chocolate bar ahead of the pre-competition

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

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

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