Kazakhstan’s Ilya Ilyin, powered by a diet of horse meat, won gold in the men’s under-94kg weightlifting division on Saturday, setting two world records as he galloped past the challenge of Russia’s Alexandr Ivanov with a flawless display.
After completing all six of the lifts he attempted, Ilyin became the first weightlifter to successfully defend an Olympic title at the London Games, prompting an outpouring of joy from the flag-waving Kazakhstan contingent in the crowd.
“Today, I feel very, very different to what I was four years ago ... the training is not that much different, but the quality of my victory is very different,” Ilyin said.
He also said the Kazakh team’s decision to import horse meat to London had helped.
“I have to be careful with what I eat. Chicken and horse meat are the best foods for weightlifting, good food is very important,” he told reporters.
Ilyin set a world record for the clean and jerk with 233kg and, when combined with a 185kg snatch, also set a world record for the overall total with 418kg — 12kg higher than his total in Beijing.
One of the few lifters to wear a costume bearing his own name, Ilyin won the backing of the neutrals in a packed ExCel Centre with his no nonsense technique and faultless execution.
Whereas other lifters spent time over the bar adjusting their grip and composing themselves, Ilyin simply bowed deeply, walked to the bar and hauled it to shoulder level in almost a single movement, before powering it above his head and locking out his arms.
Although the result rarely looked in doubt, Ivanov had a chance to take top spot and put the pressure on Ilyin with the penultimate lift of the competition, but he was unable to hold the 229kg barbell above his head.
The bronze went to Moldova’s Anatoli Ciricu with a total of 407kg.
‘AWFUL PERFORMANCE’: Golden State were always chasing the game after failing to threaten from long range, making just eight of 33 three-point attempts Aaron Gordon on Monday scored 38 points as the Denver Nuggets shrugged off the absence of Nikola Jokic to halt the Golden State Warriors’ seven-game winning streak with a 114-105 victory over their Western Conference rivals. A dazzling display from Gordon inspired what was ultimately a comfortable win for Denver, who were missing regular starters Jokic and Jamal Murray from their lineup. The absentees were barely felt by Denver, who startled the Warriors early at San Francisco’s Chase Center and led for most of the game. The Warriors threatened to stage a late rally after slashing the Nuggets’ fourth-quarter lead from 15 points
The US’ bid for a fourth consecutive CONCACAF Nations League title came to a stunning end as they fell 1-0 to Panama after a stoppage-time goal from Cecilio Waterman on Thursday in Inglewood, California. Despite dominating possession, the US struggled to break down a resilient Panama side for long periods. Panama spent the bulk of the match defending, but pounced on a giveaway by the US before substitute forward Waterman sent a shot from the right side of the area to the bottom left corner late in stoppage time. Up next for Panama in tomorrow’s final is to be Mexico, who beat
DOMINATION: McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris took the first two spots as Mercedes’ George Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen followed them Australian Oscar Piastri yesterday roared back from season-opening disappointment in his home race by winning the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix from pole position in a McLaren one-two with championship-leading teammate Lando Norris. George Russell finished third for Mercedes, ahead of Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Saturday’s sprint winner Lewis Hamilton fifth and sixth respectively. Piastri’s win denied Norris a third victory in a row, including last year’s Abu Dhabi season-ender, but left champions McLaren unbeaten in two races so far this year. “Mega job guys. The car was very, very lovely,” Piastri said
Armand Duplantis will be among the reigning Olympic champions adding star power to the world indoor championships this weekend when the Chinese city of Nanjing hosts the first major global athletics meet since the Paris Games last year. The three-day event was originally slated for 2020 and faced multiple postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Nanjing’s Sports Training Center would finally welcome more than 570 athletes for the start of the showpiece today. One of the main attractions would be pole vaulter “Mondo” Duplantis, who soared 6.27m to break the world record for a staggering 11th time in Clermont-Ferrand last