Middleweight (≤73 kg), Men

After the reorganization of the weight classes back in 2018, the middleweight class was now held for a body weight up to 73 kg. Shi Zhiyong of China, who was the defending Olympic Champion from Tokyo, the Olympic record holder, and the world record holder in the snatch, was the clear favorite to win gold again in Paris. He would face stiff competition from Julio Mayora of Venezuela, who won silver in Tokyo, and Thailand’s Weeraphon Wichuma, who was the current World Champion. Other contenders included Luis Mosquera (COL), who had won Olympic bronze and silver in the lightweight classes at the Rio and Tokyo Games, respectively, and Rizki Juniansyah (INA), who had won a plethora of medals at international competitions, including gold at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games.

After the completion of the snatch element, Shi was well on course to win another Olympic gold when he lifted 165 kg, a full 10 kg ahead of his nearest competitor. His main rival Julio Mayora was down in fifth with a best lift of 152 kg. Only the Latvian lifter Ritvars Suharevs failed to record a valid lift, with him being eliminated.

In the clean & jerk, however, both Shi and Mayora failed to record a valid lift with each of their three attempts. This left the door open for a new Olympic middleweight champion to be crowned. Rizki Juniansyah was now the clear favorite to win gold, after setting an Olympic record of 199 kg with his second lift. He did not make a third attempt, with Weeraphon Wichuma finishing just behind him with 198 kg. Juniansyah had done enough in the snatch to win gold, with a combined total of 354 kg. Wichuma finished second with 346 kg to win silver, with bronze going to Bozhidar Dimitrov Andreev of Bulgaria, who lifted 344 kg.