The men’s 69 kg (152 pounds) weightlifting competition didn’t lack for intrigue Tuesday night, with China’s Shi Zhiyong and Turkey’s Daniyar Ismayilov engaging in an entertaining duel. In the end it was Shi who took the gold medal, as his clean and jerk lift of 190 kilograms on his second attempt proved to be the difference. With a total weight lifted of 352 kilograms, Shi edged out Ismayilov by a single kilogram.
Ismayilov has competed in two Summer Olympics, but this was his first time representing Turkey. Representing Turkmenistan at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Ismayilov finished 13th. This is the first time that Turkey has won a medal in this event, and it is also their first medal of these Olympics.
As for Shi, his gold medal is the fourth consecutive for China in this weight class. Entering the competition as the reigning world champion in the 69 kg weight class, Shi now has his first Olympic gold medal to add to the trophy case.
Taking the bronze was Kyrgyzstan’s Izzat Artykov, who won his nation’s first-ever weightlifting medal. Kyrgyzstan has now won four Summer Olympics medals as an independent nation (their first appearance came in Atlanta in 1996), with one being earned in judo and two in Greco-Roman wrestling.
