Featherweight (≤62 kilograms), Men

As in most weightlifting events at the 2012 Summer Olympics, China was the favorite in the men’s featherweight division and their entrant was Zhang Jie, reigning World Champion, 2010 runner-up, and the most recent Asian Games champion. Close on his heels would be Kim Un-Guk of North Korea, the 2010 World Champion and 2011 runner-up. The reigning European Champion two years running, Bünyamin Sezer of Turkey, was competing in the lightweight division in London, giving his compatriot Erol Bilgin Europe’s best shot at a podium spot.

In the snatch portion of the event, Kim set an Olympic record and tied the world one with a lift of 153 kg, eight more than his closest competitor, Eko Irawan of Indonesia, who had been the bronze medalist at the Games in 2008 and runner-up at the 2009 World Championships. Kim’s first success in the clean and jerk, 170 kg, all but put him outside of striking distance of any other weightlifter. Irawan moved into second place with a lift of 172 kg on his first attempt. Zhang, who had only scored 140 kg in the snatch, lifted 174 kg on his first attempt, leaving him in the bronze medal position. Kim countered with a 174 kg lift of his own, failing at first, but then succeeding in his final attempt, giving him a new total of 327 kg and surpassing Zhang’s world record of 326 kg. Meanwhile Oscar Figueroa of Colombia, 2006 Pan American Champion, 2006 world runner-up, and two-time Olympic veteran lifted an Olympic record 177 kg on his third attempt, which tied Irawan’s score and placed him in second as the lighter weightlifter (but still 10 points shy of Kim’s gold). Zhang, meanwhile, was unable to lift the 178 kg he would have needed for the silver medal and finished fourth.