On August 10, Georgia’s Lasha Talakhadze cemented his legacy as perhaps the greatest living weightlifter when he won a third consecutive gold medal in the Men’s +102KG weightlifting event at the 2024 Olympics.
- Talakhadze, 30, has maintained an undefeated record in weightlifting for the last 11 years and set the all-time world records in both competition movements plus the Total.
Ahead of Paris 2024 and having long battled a slew of health issues, it was widely speculated that Talakhadze would retire should he win another gold. However, it seems Talakhadze isn’t ready to hang up his lifting belt just yet.
[Related: Liu Huanhua Claims Historic 102KG Weightlifting Gold for China]
Lasha Talakhadze on Retirement
Speaking to International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) and BarBend correspondent Brian Oliver shortly after his stunning victory in the South Paris Arena, Talakhadze quelled rumors that he was finished with the barbell:
- “I want to enjoy this moment and feel the happiness from this medal,” Talakhadze said. “If my physical condition gives me the chance, I will stay in this sport.”
Talakhadze upheld his unblemished competitive record yet again in Paris where he won with a 470-kilogram Total. But per the IWF, Talakhadze’s margins of victory at the Olympic Games are beginning to shrink:
- Rio 2016: 22-kilogram lead
- Tokyo 2020: 47-kilogram lead
- Paris 2024: 3-kilogram lead
[Related: 2020 Olympian Predicts Weightlifting Results at 2024 Olympics]
The Georgian posted his all-time heaviest Total shortly after Tokyo during the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships; 492 kilograms, just eight off of breaking the “mythical” 500-kilogram mark.
In early 2022, Talakhadze suffered an injury to his thigh during a workout that derailed his seemingly-unstoppable progress. He has yet to return to the level of strength he displayed in 2021 and had taken to competing as infrequently as possible in order to preserve his health for Paris.
Should Talakhadze contend for a fourth gold in Los Angeles 2028 and win, he will become the indisputable most successful weightlifter in history and strengthen his case as the most accomplished strength athlete ever.
More Weightlifting From the 2024 Olympics
- Is Mihaela Cambei the World’s Next Weightlifting Superstar?
- 5 Weightlifters Injured During Men’s 89KG Event at 2024 Olympics
- Canadian Weightlifter Maude Charron Chugged Maple Syrup to Win Medal at 2024 Olympics
Featured Image: International Weightlifting Federation / @iwfnet
