Olympic update

The latest from weightlifting, rowing and athletics

Radio România Internațional, 08.08.2024, 13:45

Weightlifter Mihaela Cambei on Wednesday walked away with silver in the 49-kilogram category. Combined, Cambei succeeded a deadlift of 205 kilograms. In the final attempt in the competition, Cambei was outperformed by defending Olympic champion, China’s Zhihui Hou, whose reported combined deadlift stood at 206 kilograms.

In the snatch style, Cambei had a deadlift of 93 de kilograms succeeding 112 kilograms combined. Winner Zhihui Hou’s 117-kilogram clean-and-jerk deadlift was a new Olympic record. With a combined deadlift of 200 kilograms, Thailand’s Surodchana Khambao walked home with bronze. In the 71-kilogram category, Loredana Toma will prove her mettle on Friday. Romania last won an Olympic weightlifting medal in Atlanta, in 1996, when Nicu Vlad won bronze.

Cătălin Chirilă on Wednesday advanced to the C1 men’s 1000m final, Chirila won the third heat of the qualifiers, clocking 3 minutes, 44 seconds and 75 hundredths of a second and set a new Olympic record. A world champion in 2022 and a vice-world champion in 2023, Chirila broke a 20-year-old record set by Spain’s David Cal at the Athens Olympics. The semi-finals and the finals are scheduled on Friday.

In the Olympic discus throw final hosted by Stade de France on Wednesday, the Romanian athlete Alin Alexandru Firfirica came in 11th. His best throw measured 64 meters and 45 centimeters. The winner was Jamaican athlete Roje Stone, with a throw of 70 meters, thus setting a new Olympic record.

Also in news from athletics, Andrea Miklos wasted the opportunity to advance to the 400m final. In the semifinal she competed in, Miklos ranked 15th, clocking 50 seconds and 78 hundredths of a second, eventually coming in 5th. Romania last won an athletics Olympic medal in athletics in 2008, when Constantina Dita won gold in the marathon.