Hampton Morris becomes first American man to win Olympic weightlifting medal in 40 years
Li Fabin of China defended his Olympic weightlifting title on Wednesday, winning the men's 61-kilogram division, while Hampton Morris became the first American man to earn a weightlifting medal at the Games in four decades.
After going into the competition as the overwhelming favorite to repeat, the 31-year-old Li set a Games snatch record by lifting 143 kilograms (315 pounds) on his third and final attempt. That paved the way to gold for Li, who set the top Olympic snatch and overall marks in this category three years ago when winning in Tokyo.
Already with a big lead, Li lifted 167 kilograms (368 pounds) in the clean and jerk to seal it with a score of 310.
Morris got the bronze medal, failing on a world record attempt in the clean and jerk but ending up at 303. The last U.S. men's weightlifting medalists were Mario Martinez and Guy Carlton in the 1984 Los Angeles Games.
Theerapong Silachai of Thailand got the silver for medal.
Morris slipped on his first clean and jerk attempt. The 20-year-old slid the bar forward a few feet on his second try, which was successful at 172kg.
According to his Team USA bio, Morris is coached by his father and trains primarily out of his home gym. The Marietta, Georgia native owns 20 American records across youth, junior and senior levels and has won two gold medals and a silver medal in the world championships.
"Weightlifting is the only thing I do," Morris said before the Paris Games. "I still don't have my driver's license because I decided to spend all of my free time training and doing peripheral things to help me be a better weightlifter."
Four-time Olympic medalist Eko Yuli Irawan of Indonesia, the oldest weightlifter in the category at age 35, injured his right hip or leg on his unsuccessful final lift. He limped off with assistance after failing to make a lift in the clean and jerk, preventing him from extending his lead as his country's most decorated Olympian.
The 61kg (134.48 pound) class is one of just five at the Paris Games after a reclassification and reduction from seven divisions in Tokyo. The start of the first event was delayed more than 20 minutes because of unspecified technical maintenance.
