Earlier in 2024, Indonesian athlete Rizki Juniansyah shocked the weightlifting world when he made a last-minute comeback to qualify for the 2024 Olympics.
Juniansyah, 21, bounced back from appendix surgery in time to snipe the singular 73-kilogram weightlifting slot out of the hands of his teammate (and world record holder) Rahmat Erwin Abdullah. At the time, it caused quite a stir.
On Aug. 8, during the 73-kilogram event in Paris, Juniansyah proved he was the athlete for the job, setting a new Olympic clean & jerk record en route to winning the gold medal.
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Rizki Juniansyah (INA) 2024 Olympics
Though he sat atop the qualification leaderboard before Paris, Juniansyah had a tough battle against Team China’s powerhouse and two-time Olympic Champion Shi Zhiyong, who, despite leading by 10 kilograms in the snatch, failed to register a successful clean & jerk.
Here’s a breakdown of Juniansyah’s historic Paris performance:
Snatch: 155x, 155, 162x
Clean & Jerk: 191, 199 | Olympic Record
Total: 354
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For Indonesia, weightlifting is the number-two medal event behind badminton at the Summer Games. On Aug. 7, Juniansyah’s teammate Eko Yuli Irawan suffered a grievous hip injury that likely cost him a medal in the Men’s 61-kilogram event.
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Before Paris, Juniansyah’s personal weightlifting coach had told BarBend that the young talent “had not yet reached his potential.”
With the gold medal sitting comfortably around Juniansyah’s neck, it’s probably safe to say that he’s achieved that potential and then some.
Weightlifting Results at the 2024 Olympics
Featured Image: @awfsport / Instagram
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