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Ammon News - Qatar’s Fares El-Bakh set a new Olympic record (with a total of 402) in a dominant performance at the Tokyo International Forum to win the men's 96kg Weightlifting final of the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Venezuelan Keydomar Giovanni Vallenilla Sanchez was closest behind the winner to earn silver (387). And, competing for Georgia, Anton Pliesnoi was good enough to take the bronze.

The Qatari El-Bakh put up 177kg in the snatch before sliding into the clean and jerk and setting an Olympic record in that lift with a weight of 225kg. It was one of two Olympic records he broke on the night along with a massive combined score of 402 that was too much for any of his competitors on the day to even approach.

He attempted a world record 232kg clean and jerk but wasn't able to make the lift.

“I feel great, incredible. We worked hard for it. We went so far to get this and it feels better than ever,” El-Bakh said after collecting his gold medal."

Aside from a piece of personal history for El-Bakh, the gold medal is a first-ever Olympic title for Qatar.

"I am literally speechless about that [getting the first gold for Qatar]," El-Bakh added. "I hope that they are proud of me. I promise this is not the end, we still have more and more coming soon. We will do our best to make it even better.”

Vallenilla Sanchez of Venezuela (silver) made a combined weight of 387 on the night while Pliesnoi finished with the same 387, which was enough only for the bronze when the tie-breaking criteria was consulted (the Venezuelan was ranked above Pliesnoi because he made his best clean and jerk lift earlier in the competition).

“I was ready to lift more but five days ago I injured my knee and it was really hurting during the competition," said silver winner Vallenilla Sanchez. "I couldn’t imagine how I would be able to lift. I turned off my pain emotions and turned on my other emotions. I did my best."

Canada’s Boady Santavy put up the heaviest weight over the three snatch lifts (178) but he was unable to produce similarly in the clean and jerk and, eventually, landed in fourth place and just outside of the podium places.

*olympics