Middle-Heavyweight (≤94 kilograms), Men

The landscape on this field changed days before the Rio Olympics, after 2012 85 kg Olympic champion Adrian Zieliński of Poland, and his brother Tomasz both failed drug tests. Also missing was the former 2012 Olympic champion, and current world record holder, Ilya Ilyin of Kazakhstan, who had failed retests of his doping samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, and had his results annulled, and medals stripped.

Vadim Streltsov of Belarus, the 2015 World champion, looked to have the distinct advantage in the clean & jerk going into Rio. Meanwhile, Aurimas Didžbalis, who became the first Lithuanian to win a medal in the total weight at the World Championships, with bronze in 2014, was also in the reckoning. However, he had a poor showing at the 2015 Worlds, and missed the 2012 Olympic Games due to a doping suspension, so he was looking for some redemption. The dark horse was 2012 Olympian Sohrab Moradi of Iran, who had totalled 400 kg at the Fajr Cup in Tehran earlier in the year.

Morabi took a healthy lead of 5 kg into the clean & jerk, following a snatch of 182 kg, His first lift in the clean & jerk of 221 kg, gave him a total of 403 kg sand secured the gold medal, and his country’s second weightlifting gold in as many nights.

Streltsov earned the silver with a total of 395 kg. Even though he missed his final lift Didžbalis was guaranteed the bronze medal, Lithuania’s first weightlifting medal ever, and he celebrated by doing a back flip.