• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The BarBend Logo in white.

BarBend

The Online Home for Strength Sports

  • News
    • CrossFit
    • Strongman
    • Bodybuilding
    • Powerlifting
    • Weightlifting
    • HYROX
  • Reviews
    • Recovery
      • Best Cold Plunges
      • Best Saunas
      • Best Mini-Massage Guns
    • Supplements
      • Best Protein
        • Best Vegan Protein Powders
        • Best Whey Isolate Protein Powders
        • Best Mass Gainer
        • Best Protein Bars
      • Best Pre-Workouts
        • Best Pre-Workout for Women
        • Best Pre-Workouts for Men
        • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workouts
        • Strongest Pre-Workouts
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Electrolyte Supplements
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Meal Replacements
      • Best Nitric Oxide Supplements
      • Best Fat Burners
      • Individual Supplement Reviews
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Exercise Bikes
      • Best Ellipticals
      • Best Recumbent Bikes
      • Individual Cardio Equipment Reviews
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Leg Extension Machines
      • Individual Strength Equipment Reviews
    • Apparel
      • Best Weightlifting Shoes
      • Best Cross Training Shoes
      • Best Running Shoes
      • Best Gym Shorts
    • Fitness Tech
      • Best Running Apps
      • Best Fitness Trackers
      • Best Workout Apps
      • Best Smart Scales
    • Support Gear
      • Best Lifting Straps
      • Best Gym Bags
      • Best Lifting Gloves
      • Best Wrist Wraps
  • Nutrition
    • Diets
      • Carb Cycling
      • Vertical Diet
      • Reverse Dieting
      • Carnivore Diet
      • Ketogenic Diet
      • Intermittent Fasting
      • IIFYM Diet
    • Muscle Gain
      • How to Dirty Bulk
      • Go From Cutting to Bulking
      • Eat These Carbs
      • How to Eat for Muscle
    • Fat Loss
      • Macros for Fat Loss
      • Calorie Deficits
      • Natural Fat Burners
      • Cut 2 Pounds Weekly
    • Supplement Guides
      • Pre-Workout
      • Whey Protein
      • Mass Gainers
      • Greens Powders
      • Creatine
      • BCAAs
    • Daily Protein Needs
    • Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition
    • Foods With Creatine
    • Bulking Tips
  • Training
    • Exercise Guides
      • Deadlift
      • Bench Press
      • Back Squat
      • Overhead Press
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Shoulder Exercises
      • Chest Exercises
      • Ab Exercises
      • Quad Exercises
      • Biceps Exercises
    • Training Guides
      • Beginner’s Guide to the Gym
      • How to Build Muscle
      • Guide to Muscle Hypertrophy
      • How to Train on a Cut
    • Workouts
      • Back Workouts
      • At-Home Workouts
      • Chest & Back Workouts
      • Full-Body Workout
      • HIIT Workouts
      • Bodybuilding Workouts
      • Farmer’s Carry Workouts
    • Programs
      • 5×5 Program
      • Bodybuilding Programs
      • Push-Up Program
      • Pull-Up Program
      • 5/3/1 Program
      • Powerbuilding Program
      • German Volume Training
      • Build Your Own Program
  • Calculators
    • Protein Intake Calculator
    • Macros Calculator
    • BMR Calculator
    • Squat Calculator
    • Calorie Calculator
  • Community Forum
Home » Weightlifting News » 5 Weightlifters Injured During Men's 89KG Event at 2024 Olympics

5 Weightlifters Injured During Men’s 89KG Event at 2024 Olympics

Only about half the field in the Men's 89-kilogram event made it through unscathed.

Written by Jake Dickson, NASM-CPT, USAW-L2
Last updated on April 29th, 2025

The Men’s 89-kilogram weightlifting event on Aug. 9 was tragic and triumphant in equal measure. On one hand, there was a slew of new records set by the gold medalist. On the other hand, 5 weightlifters injured during the competition illustrated the lengths that professional athletes will go to realize their Olympic dreams.

Of the 12 men competing for their countries at the 2024 Olympics in the 89s, five;

  • Venezuela, Egypt, Canada, Moldova, and host country France

were forced to either withdraw from the event or perform in immense pain — and none of the athletes from the countries would make it to the podium.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Boady Santavy OLY (@boady_champ)

Weightlifters Injured at the Olympics | Men’s 89KG

The 89-kilogram event was among the most highly anticipated lifting sessions at the Paris Olympics. Multiple previous Olympic medalists plus world record holders colored the roster, signaling an exciting session for athlete and fan alike.

Unfortunately, the five of the dozen would suffer various injuries that either affected their strength or forced them to withdraw altogether:

  • Romaine Imadouchene (France) took a nasty fall early in the event and injured his left knee during a snatch. Imadouchene would bravely return in the back half of the event to muster a successful clean & jerk in front of his home crowd despite being in visible pain.
  • Karim Abokahla (Egypt), a medal contender, injured his elbow during the snatches as well. Clutching it as he hobbled off the stage, Abokahla withdrew from the event early on.
  • Boady Santavy (Canada) injured his knee on his first clean & jerk attempt; he would try once more, unable to squat the bar to a standing position, before retiring. Back room cameras showed Santavy exclaiming, “My f&#king knee, man.”
  • Marin Robu (Moldova) finished narrowly in 4th, despite suffering a small injury during the snatch portion. Robu would emerge for clean & jerks with his elbow wrapped in plenty of kinesiology tape.
  • Keydomar Vallenilla (Venezuela) grimaced and clutched at his wrist after several of his lifts, but did not withdraw. The Tokyo 2020 silver medalist was thought to be a serious threat to the podium, but Vallenilla selected weights well below what he had achieved earlier in 2024. He explained to fans on social media that he had been battling chronic pain for some time.
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Keydomar Vallenilla (@keydomar)

[Related: 2020 Olympian Predicts 2024 Weightlifting Results]

With these five partially or fully incapacitated, Bulgaria’s prodigal 20-year-old Karlos Nasar cruised smoothly into the gold medal position. Nasar set multiple new Olympic records plus a clean & jerk world record.

What It Means

While you may be tempted to view Olympic lifting as a dangerous sport after hearing about nearly half of the world’s best 89-kilogram athletes getting injured, the reality is a bit different.

Most weightlifting competitions operate from start to finish with no injuries. At the World or Olympic Games level, where the stakes are highest, athletes are more likely to make bold decisions in an attempt to claim a medal or record and the monetary gain that comes with it.

  • Nowhere is this truer than in Paris, where the space between bronze and fourth is may as well be planet Earth to Pluto. The Paris 2024 qualification procedure also rewarded reckless attempt selection and large jumps in weight with its leaderboard-driven eligibility.

A 2017 systematic review concluded that weightlifting is far less dangerous in terms of injury risk than most contact sports. (1)

More Olympic Weightlifting on BarBend

  • Is Mihaela Cambei the World’s Next Weightlifting Superstar?
  • Hampton Morris Wins Historic Medal for USA, Ends 40-Year Drought
  • Antonino Pizzolato Wins Controversial Bronze Medal for Italy

References

  1. Aasa U, Svartholm I, Andersson F, Berglund L. Injuries among weightlifters and powerlifters: a systematic review. Br J Sports Med. 2017 Feb;51(4):211-219. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2016-096037. Epub 2016 Oct 4. PMID: 27707741.

Featured Image: @robumarin / Instagram

About Jake Dickson, NASM-CPT, USAW-L2

Jake is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a B.S. in Exercise Science. He began his career as a weightlifting coach before transitioning into sports media to pursue his interest in journalism.

View All Articles

Primary Sidebar

Latest Reviews

Featured image for the Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review

Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review (2025): Our Expert’s New Favorite FID Bench

Titan T3 Power Rack Review

Titan T3 Power Rack Review (2025): An Expert-Approved Rig Beckoning to Budget-Minded Athletes

Our tester works out at the beach in preparation for the Rogue Resistance Bands Review

Rogue Resistance Bands Review (2025): Tested by a Certified Personal Trainer

Barbend tester Jake Herod works out on a Force USA Trainer

Force USA G3 Review (2025): Our Experts Tested This Compact All-In-One Rack for Small Home Gyms

BarBend

BarBend is an independent website. The views expressed on this site may come from individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend or any other organization. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting.

  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Sections

  • CrossFit
  • Strongman
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Weightlifting
  • Reviews
  • Nutrition
  • Training

More

  • BarBend Newsletter
  • BarBend Podcast
  • The Ripped Report
  • 1RM Calculator
  • BMR Calculator
  • Macros Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Squat Calculator

Policies

  • Accessibility
  • Advice Disclaimer
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimers
  • Disclosures
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2025 · BarBend Inc · Sitemap