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Olympic Weightlifting Recaps: 20 July - Day 1


Weightlifting --Preliminary Round

54kg Group B

Fernandez Sets Personal Record To Take Lead After First Session: Columbia's Juan FERNANDEZ notched a personal best in the clean and jerk (145.0kg) on his third attempt to push his total score to 255.0kg (also a personal record) to finish ahead of the 13-athlete Group B pool at the Georgia World Congress Center Saturday on the first day of the 1996 Olympic Games weightlifting competition. France's Eric BONNEL led after the snatch competition with his own personal best score of 115.0kg, but faltered in the clean and jerk in two attempts at 140.0kg. FERNANDEZ had the third highest score in the snatch and tied for the highest in the clean and jerk, putting his total score ahead of WANG Shin-Yuan of Chinese Taipei for the overall lead. WANG and Indonesia's Badathala ADISEKHAR joined FERNANDEZ with the highest clean and jerk scores of 145.0kg. The afternoon session (Group A) will conclude the 54kg competition with the other nine competitors scheduled to compete. Following the session, the medals will be awarded to the overall winners. Included in Group A is reigning Olympic champion Ivan IVANOV of Bulgaria and current world record holder Halil MUTLU of Turkey. Group B top finishers: Juan FERNANDEZ (COL), 255.0kg; WANG Shin-Yuan (TPE), 250.0kg; Eric BONNEL (FRA), 250.0kg; Hari SETIAWAN (INA), 250.0kg.


Weightlifting -- Preliminary Round

54kg Group A

World Champion Mutlu Gains First Olympic Title: Halil MUTLU (TUR) gained his first-ever Olympic medal by winning the 54kg weightlifting gold medal and in the process set an Olympic record of 287.5kg. MUTLU also posted a world mark in the snatch with his 132.5kg lift en route to earning Atlanta's first Olympic gold medal in weightlifting. MUTLU, who competed in the Group A session, surpassed his own world mark in the snatch, previously set in Warsaw, Poland, in March 1995. A four-time world champion, MUTLU outlasted ZHANG Xiangsen and LAN Shizhang of the People's Republic of China, who each had opportunities to snare the gold in their final clean and jerk attempts, as well as his fellow countryman Sevdalin MINCHEV, to secure his place in history. Former Olympic champion Ivan IVANOV of Bulgaria struggled with his snatch attempts, only scoring on his third try, and rendered a no lift in his third clean and jerk attempt by allowing his time to elapse, to finish a distant sixth. The Group B winner from earlier this afternoon, Juan FERNANDEZ, placed seventh overall. Final Score: Gold, Olympic Record: Halil MUTLU (TUR), 287.5kg; Silver, ZHANG Xiangsen (CHN), 280.0kg; Bronze, Sevdalin MINCHEV (BUL), 277.5kg.

See story.

"I value that record very much," said MUTLU referring to his new snatch world record. "It's what got me the gold medal."



This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department.


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