Olympics | Feature: Shi's Olympic dream ends in tears after failing to secure third consecutive gold

PARIS, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Shi Zhiyong, who failed to win a third consecutive Olympic title, broke down in tears, but still drew the most attention from journalists in the mixed zone.

The 30-year-old weightlifting legend faced an unexpected defeat in the men's 73kg event at the Paris Olympics on Thursday. Despite leading by at least 10kg in the snatch, he failed all three of his attempts in the clean and jerk.

For Shi, his three failed lifts were as agonizing as the battle he has fought with injuries over the past three years.

In 2021, Shi claimed men's 73kg gold at the Tokyo Olympics, a category four kilograms heavier than the 69kg division in which he won at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

He had been absent from the international tournaments for nearly three years due to injuries which made training impossible.

"My lower back injury is severe. I've lost count of how many times I've had acupuncture or gone to the hospital for magnetic resonance imaging. I haven't been able to train properly, and the Olympics was the only reason that kept me going," he said.

"Doctors advised me to have a surgery, but I refused because that would cost me my chance to compete in the Olympics. I chose to endure the physical and mental torment until today."

When he arrived in Paris to compete for gold, Shi felt good during his pre-competition training. Thanks to his team, the lower back injury that had plagued him for so long showed significant improvement in the month leading up to the Games.

He achieved 165kg in the snatch, just 1kg lower than his own Olympic record. Moving into the clean and jerk, he started with 191kg, a weight that could be enough to win the gold.

"I was a bit anxious during the first attempt, which led to the failure; the second left me feeling a bit lost."

"By the third attempt, I tried my best to lift it, but I felt like my adductor muscle had torn. My leg was in so much pain that I couldn't hold on."

The man who can lift several times his own body weight told Xinhua that he can no longer bear such pressure.

"I want to give myself a break," he said. "I hope that in the next stage of my life, I can spend more time with my family."