Paris, Men 73kg: Rizki takes gold for Indonesia as tearful Shi Zhiyong bombs out after building 10kg lead

Shi Zhiyong was on the way to joining the ranks of the greatest weightlifters in history when he led by 10kg halfway through an exciting 73kg contest. But China’s double Olympic champion failed with all three clean and jerk attempts and Rizki Juniansyah claimed gold for Indonesia.

Weeraphon Wichuma maintained Thailand’s run of success by taking silver, the third medal in two days for his nation. Bozhidar Andreev from Bulgaria was especially pleased to finish third, keeping a promise he made to himself to honour family members and a close friend who had passed away by winning an Olympic medal.

Rizki Juniansyah (INA)

Rizki, 21, caused a huge upset when he outperformed team-mate and multiple world record holder Rahmat Erwin at the World Cup in April to earn his place in Paris. That was “a do or die situation” said Rizki, and it gave him belief that he could do it again at the South Paris Arena.

“You saw me crying because it was such a beautiful, emotional experience,” he said afterwards. “I owe so much to my family. My dad (a former weightlifter who competed in the South East Asian Games) taught me how to clean and jerk. My brother-in-law is my coach.

“And my mother is everything to me. It has been a ritual for me that before every competition, I wash my mother’s hands and feet and drink the water. I have been successful every time I do that.”

His brother-in-law is the double Olympic medallist Triyatno, who became his coach two years ago. Triyatno helped Rizki through a difficult recovery period after he had to take a break from qualifying to have appendix surgery 10 months ago. “You cannot put enough importance on training,” Rizki said.

He declined his final attempt after making 155-199-354, ahead of Wichuma on 148-198-346 and Andreev on a six-from-six 154-190-344. That 155kg was 9kg down on his best snatch at the World Cup, and was 10kg lower than Shi.

Weeraphon Wichuma (THA)

Shi had said before the competition that he felt able to make only one clean and jerk because a back injury was so painful. He tried three times at 191kg, the weight he lifted in his one successful attempt at the World Cup in Thailand in April, and missed all three.

The 30-year-old had an 862-day absence from international competition because of that injury, sustained at the Chinese National Games a few months after he won his second Olympic gold in 2021.

Shi recovered well enough to take a shot at a third Olympic title – only four men have ever won three times – and broke down in tears when he tried to explain his feelings to the media after his bombout.

Wichuma, who took Rizki’s junior world record in clean and jerk, will be 20 on Saturday. He said, “I thought I might win a medal next time, at Los Angeles 2028, but I didn’t expect this and I am very proud. This is my birthday present.”

Bozhidar Andreev (BUL)

Andreev lost his father, one of his brothers and the daughter of his first coach “who I consider an older sister” in the three years since he finished fifth at this weight in Tokyo. “I felt obligated to win a medal for them,” he said.

Andreev, like the Colombian Luis Mosquera, earned extra cheers from the crowd by performing a backflip before he left the platform. “I always do it after a good performance,” he said.

He had a nervous wait for his medal. Four men had a chance to knock Andreev out of the top three but they all failed – Furkan Ozbek from Turkey, Masanori Miyamoto from Japan, Bak Joohyo from Korea and the Tokyo silver medallist Julio Mayora from Venezuela.

By Brian Oliver