Indonesia Wins Second Gold Medal at 2024 Olympics
Paris—Rizki Juniansyah set a new clean and jerk record in the men’s 73kg weightlifting category, securing Indonesia’s second gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Juniansyah successfully lifted 155 kg in the snatch, followed by an impressive 199 kg in the clean and jerk. Yesterday, his main rival, China’s Shi Zhiyong, who had won gold in the 73kg category at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and in the 69kg category at the Rio 2016 Olympics, was expected to dominate.
The Chinese lifter led after the snatch with a lift of 165 kg, 10 kg more than his closest competitor. Shi then attempted to break his own Olympic clean and jerk record of 191 kg but failed all three attempts. As a result, Shi was marked as Did Not Finish (DNF).
After his victory, Juniansyah said, “I am extremely happy, proud, and emotional to win my first Olympic gold medal. I want to thank all the Indonesian fans who have supported me. There are no words to describe my feelings right now. As you saw, I was moved to tears by this experience. I look forward to more success in the future.”
The men’s 73kg weightlifting event also saw success for another Southeast Asian athlete. Thailand’s Weeraphon Wichuma won the silver medal with a total lift of 346 kg. This is Thailand’s third silver medal at the 2024 Olympics, having also won one gold in taekwondo and two bronze medals.
Before Juniansyah’s victory, Indonesia had won its first gold medal in Paris thanks to Veddriq Leonardo’s triumph in sport climbing. With two gold medals and one bronze, Indonesia has climbed to 28th place in the overall medal standings. Within Southeast Asia, they rank second behind the Philippines, which has won two gold and two bronze medals.
The Indonesian weightlifter’s total of 354 kg earned him the gold medal, marking Indonesia’s first-ever Olympic gold in weightlifting. Previously, Indonesia had won 15 silver and bronze medals in this sport across various Olympic Games.
