Venezuela Wins First Olympic Medal at Tokyo 2020

Julio Mayora earned his place on the podium in the Men’s 73kg Weightlifting, finishing second on Wednesday to win Venezuela’s first Olympic medal in Tokyo.

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Mayora lifted 346 kilograms to claim his place in history as Venezuela’s first medallist at the 2020 Olympics.

Prior to this year’s competition in Japan, Mayora made his objectives clear: “lifting more than 360kg, and competing for a place on the podium, I don’t know which color, but that’s what we’re working towards”.

Mayora was bested only by China’s Shi Zhiyong, who broke his own record in the Men’s 73kg Weightlifting. Rahmat Abdullah of Indonesia took home the bronze.

The tweet reads: 'Medal for Mayora. Julio Mayora makes sporting history by making the Olympic podium. Start: 150 | 154 | 156, Clean and Jerk: 186 | 190 | X. We're proud of you Mayora. Silver medal.'

Speaking afterwards, Mayora thanked the Venezuelan people for their "support and energy", adding "we're here to bring joy."

Hailing from La Guaira, Mayora went into this year's Olympics ranked fourth in the world in the Men’s 73kg event, ensuring automatic qualification for the competition in Tokyo.

The Venezuelan athlete adds the Olympic silver medal to an almost perfect haul in 2021, having already won the South American Championships; the Ibero-American Championships; and the Open Championships this calendar year.