'Flamingo Li' has done it again! Weightlifter Li Fabin stole the show Sunday, producing a performance worthy of the title and giving Asian powerhouse China yet another gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics. Li set two new Olympic records on his way to the top prize in the men's 61-kgs category, dazzling those in attendance at the Tokyo International Forum with his unique style of weightlifting.
Li is known in the weightlifting world for his patented, one-of-a-kind flamingo lifting technique. The 28-year-old raises his right leg while lifting, which according to Li, helps him correct his balance if a lift is in danger of going wrong.
Li thrills fans with one-legged lift
Li said that he could pull off the dangerous move because of his strong core strength and muscles. However, he's quick to remind those watching that such a move can easily cause an injury and must only be down by those with the know-how. What Li means is that he's the only one authorized to execute such a dangerous technique.
The Chinese athlete showed the world how it is done on Sunday by lifting 166-kgs (366-lbs), nearly three times Li's body weight, with his right leg sticking out in his opening clean and jerk attempt. He eventually finished with a more traditional 172-kgs clean and jerk lift, a new Olympic record.
Li added another Olympic record with a total lift of 313-kgs after producing stunning snatch and clean and jerk performances. However, he failed to beat his world snatch record of 145-kgs and the total record of 318-kgs that he set in Thailand back in 2019.
Li has pulled off the Flamingo lift at competitions before, including the 2017 Asian Championships. Li maintains that he is not a show-off and utilizes this style to help and correct his lifting motion. Li's previous results confirm that statement with the Chinese weightlifter, a three-time Asian champion in his own right. He also won the world title in 2019, breaking world records along the way.
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Li outlasts Irawan for the gold medal
Li managed to outlast Indonesian rival Eko Yuli Irawan, who settled for the silver medal. Irawan recorded a total lift of 302-kgs for his fourth Olympic medal, more than any other Indonesian athlete in the Summer Games history.
Irawan, who had two failed lifts in the clean and jerk to give Li the gold medal, said that it was difficult to compete at his record-setting best as the lockdowns brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic in his home country of Indonesia hampered his training for the Olympics.
Coming in third place was Igor Son of Kazakhstan, who lifted a total of 294-kgs for the bronze medal. Son had to wait for his opponents from Georgia and Saudi Arabia to miss their final lifts before celebrating his medal triumph.
Li's victory gave China its second gold medal in weightlifting in the Tokyo Olympics. Hou Zhihui earlier won gold for China in the women's 49-kgs event. Chen Lijun made it a hat-trick of wins for China when he won the men's 67-kgs category on Monday in stunning fashion.
Chen lifted 187-kgs in the clean and jerk, just 1 kilogram shy of the world record, to overhaul Luis Mosquera's lead and win the gold medal in a dramatic final attempt.
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