The final weight category to compete at the rescheduled 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games was the Men’s +109-kilogram weight class. Groups B and A competed on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, at 12:50 a.m. EST and 6:50 a.m. EST, respectively.
Men’s +109-Kilogram Results
- Lasha Talakhadze (Georgia) — 488 (223/265) (Gold, Olympic Record, World Record)
- Ali Davoudi (Iran) — 441 (200/241) (Silver)
- Man Asaad (Syria) — 424 (190/234) (Bronze)
- Hojamuhammet Toychyyev (Turkmenistan) — 414 (184/230)
- David Liti (New Zealand) — 414 (178/236)
- Enzo Kuworge (Netherlands) — 409 (175/234)
- Peter Nagy (Hungary) — 396 (178/218)
- Marcos Ruiz I Velasco (Spain) — 395 (180/215)
- Caine Wilkes (United States) — 390 (173/217)
- Sargis Martirosyan (Austria) — 381 (180/201)
- David Liftvinov (Israel) — 381 (176/205)
- Yun-Ting Hsieh (Chinese Taipei) — 378 (172/206)
- Jiri Orsag (Czech Republic) — X (180/X) Did Not Finish
- Walid Bidani (Algeria) — Did Not Start*
Note: the above stats are structured as — Total (Snatch/Clean & Jerk)
*According to Inside the Games, Algeria’s Bidani was unable to compete due to a positive COVID-19 test.
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[Related: The Full 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games Weightlifting Roster]
2020 Tokyo Olympic Games — Men’s +109KG
Here are the fourteen athletes in the Men’s +109-kilogram category who competed in Tokyo:
+109-Kilogram Roster
Group A
- Walid Bidani — Algeria
- Jiri Orsag — Czech Republic
- Lasha Talakhadze — Georgia
- Ali Davoudi — Iran
- Enzi Kuworge — Netherlands
- David Andrew Liti — New Zealand
- Man Asaad — Syria
- Hojamuhammet Toychyyev — Turkmenistan
Group B
- Yun-Ting Hsieh — Chinese Taipei
- Caine Morgan Wilkes — USA
- Marcos Ruiz I Velasco — Spain
- Sargis Martirosjan — Austria
- Peter Nagy — Hungary
- David Litvinov — Israel
Fernando Reis of Brazil was originally on the Olympic roster but was suspended for a doping violation days prior to the 2020 Tokyo Games Olympic ceremony.
Heading into the Games, the lone returning medalist from the +105-kilogram class at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games was Talakhadze (new weightlifting categories were approved by the IWF in 2018). He also held all three world records coming into the event. He scored the snatch and total world records at the 2021 European Championships and the clean & jerk world record at the 2019 IWF World Championships.
+109-Kilogram World Records
- Snatch — Lasha Talakhadze, 222 kilograms (489.4 pounds)
- Clean & Jerk — Lasha Talakhadze, 264 kilograms (582 pounds)
- Total — Lasha Talakhadze, 485 kilograms (1,069.2 pounds)
Session Recap
Prior to commencement of the final weightlifting event in Tokyo, Algerian lifter Bidani was forced to withdraw due to COVID-19 exposure. Ironically, the event with the heaviest weights of the Olympic Games was among the most brief.
Snatch
The snatch portion opened breezily as lifters Orsag, Kuworge, and Liti duked it out before Kuworge missed his second and third attempts at 180 kilograms, opening up the field for the rest of the competitors to begin.
Turkmenistan’s Toychyyev was the first to fall prey to strict refereeing, who failed to register a second or third attempt after beginning with 184 kilograms. Prior to the emergence of the Georgian, Syria’s Asaad and Iran’s Davoudi displayed impressive speed and power as they battled in the 190-kilogram area for what would likely be second and third place.
Similarly to the 109-kilogram event yesterday, some backstage cardplay from the Syrians in an attempt to unnerve Iran backfired. Davoudi, forced to appear first to lift 196 kilograms on his second attempt was successful, where Asaad would unsuccessfully follow with 197. Davoudi would be one of two athletes in this portion to snatch 200 kilograms or more.
With all other lifters finished, the wolf emerged from his lair. Talakhadze’s first snatch at 208 kilograms was effortless and a new Olympic Record. He came out shortly after to vault 215 kilograms overhead for a second record.
After a few minutes casually chatting with his coaches backstage, Talakhadze stepped onstage to greet a barbell loaded with 223 kilograms. A round of respectful applause in the stadium fell to complete stillness moments before the bar was lifted, a third Olympic Record and new World Record for the Georgian giant.
Clean & Jerk
At the conclusion of the snatches, Georgia had raised a mountainous 23-kilogram lead that other countries would find all but impossible to summit. Nonetheless, many of the other competitors displayed commendable strength as Kuworge began the jerks with a very impressive 225 kilograms.
Three-time Olympian Orsag started his clean & jerks with what commentator Michaela Breeze called “a schoolboy error,” dropping his 232-kilogram barbell from overhead well before being given the down signal from the referees.
After a very rare failure of his grip on his second attempt, Orsag missed his third jerk at 235, registering an incomplete finish at his third Games. Crowd favorite Liti would come out afterwards to make a new personal best lift with 236 kilograms.
Davoudi, Toyychev, and Liti all failed to be the first man to lift 240 kilograms or more. Davoudi broke through on his final lift at 241, while Asaad failed to hoist 242 for the silver medal. However, the Syrian coaches displayed their own feat of strength by appearing on stage to lift Asaad onto their shoulders to the applause of the crowd.
Once again, only Talakhadze remained when he came out for his first attempt at 245 kilograms, an unsurprising success and Olympic Record in the total. With the first hint of visible effort, he lifted 255 on his second.
Another round of cheers and applause welcomed Talakhadze as he stepped out to take 265 kilograms. He jerked the weight overhead seconds later, letting out a deafening roar of triumph as he dropped the barbell to win his second Olympics.
[Related: New ITA Report Reveals Doping Violations, Corruption, and Cover-Ups in Weightlifting]
The Games Closing Ceremony
The closing ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games will be held on Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021. The Games program featured 11,000 athletes competing in 33 different sports. A total of 339 medal ceremonies will have been held.
Feature image: Frame Art/Shutterstock
