Ruslan Nurudinov Sets Olympic Record, Wins Weightlifting Gold for Uzbekistan

Ruslan Nurudinov won gold for Uzbekistan on Monday in the men's 105-kilogram weightlifting division.

It was the first medal of any kind in weightlifting for the Central Asian nation, won with 194kg in the snatch and an Olympic-record 237 in the clean and jerk for a total of 431 kilos.

Nurudinov stuck his tongue out and shouted with joy after his final lift, before bowing to the crowd in triumph, tears in his eyes.

Armenia's Simon Martirosyan had to settle for silver on 417, and Kazakhstan's Alexandr Zaichikov won bronze with 416.

World record holder Ilya Ilyin of Kazakhstan had been considered the favorite for gold, but he missed the Olympics after failing doping retests of samples he gave at the 2008 and 2012 games.

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