Bantamweight (≤56 kilograms), Men

Long Qingquan was only 18-years-old in 2008 and opened with a world junior record in the snatch with 132.0 kg. This put him into the lead, which he maintained with a clean & jerk of 160.0 kg, as he won the gold medal with a total of 292.0 kg, also a junior world record. There was no clear favorite in this class. North Korean Cha Kum-Choi had won the 2007 World Championships, but struggled in the snatch, lifting only 128.0 kg, and would eventually finish fifth. Silver went to Hoàng Anh Tuấn, the first Olympic medal ever won by a Vietnamese man, and only the second ever for that nation, after Trần Hiếu Ngân had also won silver in the 2000 women’s taekwondo featherweight class. Indonesian bronze medalist Eko Irawan would move up in weight, and also win a bronze medal in 2012 as a featherweight.