The Men’s 89-kilogram weightlifting event on Aug. 9 was tragic and triumphant in equal measure. On one hand, there was a slew of new records set by the gold medalist. On the other hand, 5 weightlifters injured during the competition illustrated the lengths that professional athletes will go to realize their Olympic dreams.

Of the 12 men competing for their countries at the 2024 Olympics in the 89s, five;

Venezuela, Egypt, Canada, Moldova, and host country France

were forced to either withdraw from the event or perform in immense pain — and none of the athletes from the countries would make it to the podium.

Weightlifters Injured at the Olympics | Men’s 89KG

The 89-kilogram event was among the most highly anticipated lifting sessions at the Paris Olympics. Multiple previous Olympic medalists plus world record holders colored the roster, signaling an exciting session for athlete and fan alike.

Unfortunately, the five of the dozen would suffer various injuries that either affected their strength or forced them to withdraw altogether:

Romaine Imadouchene (France) took a nasty fall early in the event and injured his left knee during a snatch. Imadouchene would bravely return in the back half of the event to muster a successful clean & jerk in front of his home crowd despite being in visible pain.

Karim Abokahla (Egypt), a medal contender, injured his elbow during the snatches as well. Clutching it as he hobbled off the stage, Abokahla withdrew from the event early on.

Boady Santavy (Canada) injured his knee on his first clean & jerk attempt; he would try once more, unable to squat the bar to a standing position, before retiring. Back room cameras showed Santavy exclaiming, “My f&#king knee, man.”

Marin Robu (Moldova) finished narrowly in 4th, despite suffering a small injury during the snatch portion. Robu would emerge for clean & jerks with his elbow wrapped in plenty of kinesiology tape.

Keydomar Vallenilla (Venezuela) grimaced and clutched at his wrist after several of his lifts, but did not withdraw. The Tokyo 2020 silver medalist was thought to be a serious threat to the podium, but Vallenilla selected weights well below what he had achieved earlier in 2024. He explained to fans on social media that he had been battling chronic pain for some time.

[Related: 2020 Olympian Predicts 2024 Weightlifting Results]

With these five partially or fully incapacitated, Bulgaria’s prodigal 20-year-old Karlos Nasar cruised smoothly into the gold medal position. Nasar set multiple new Olympic records plus a clean & jerk world record.

What It Means

While you may be tempted to view Olympic lifting as a dangerous sport after hearing about nearly half of the world’s best 89-kilogram athletes getting injured, the reality is a bit different.

Most weightlifting competitions operate from start to finish with no injuries. At the World or Olympic Games level, where the stakes are highest, athletes are more likely to make bold decisions in an attempt to claim a medal or record and the monetary gain that comes with it.

Nowhere is this truer than in Paris, where the space between bronze and fourth is may as well be planet Earth to Pluto. The Paris 2024 qualification procedure also rewarded reckless attempt selection and large jumps in weight with its leaderboard-driven eligibility.

A 2017 systematic review concluded that weightlifting is far less dangerous in terms of injury risk than most contact sports. (1)

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References

Aasa U, Svartholm I, Andersson F, Berglund L. Injuries among weightlifters and powerlifters: a systematic review. Br J Sports Med. 2017 Feb;51(4):211-219. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2016-096037. Epub 2016 Oct 4. PMID: 27707741.

Featured Image: @robumarin / Instagram

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