Middle-Heavyweight (≤90 kilograms), Men

The 1988 gold medalist, Anatoly Khrapaty, had won the 1989 and 1990 World Championships but was then surpassed in the Soviet squad by Sergey Syrtsov, and Khrapaty did not compete at the 1992 Olympics. He later switched allegiance to Kazakhstan and won a silver medal at the 1996 Olympics in the heavyweight I class. Syrtsov took the lead in Barcelona with a snatch of 190.0 kg, but his teammate K’akhi K’akhiashvili then cleaned & jerked 235.0 kg, and they tied with 412.5 kg. This gave the gold medal to K’akhiashvili based on lower bodyweight. It seemed an upset as K’akhiashvili had little international reputation, but would prove to be a worthy winner. After emigrating to Greece, he competed under the name Akakios Kakiasvili, and won the 1995 World Championships, before adding Olympic gold medals as a heavyweight I in 1996 and as a middle-heavyweight in 2000. Kakiasvili attempted to win a fourth gold medal in 2004, but did not finish the competition. Syrtsov would also move up in weight, competing in heavyweight II class in Atlanta, where he also won a silver medal.