Light-Heavyweight (≤85 kilograms), Men

Without Russia in the competition, the epic battle between two-time World champion and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Kianoush Rostami of Iran and the defending World champion from 2015 Artyom Okulov of Russia, was not going to take place. Instead, it was going to be Rostami vs Tian Tao of China, with Denis Ulanov, the 2016 Asian champion and 2012 Olympian Yoelmis Hernández, Cuba vying for a spot on the podium.

After a slow start and coming desperately close to being eliminated, Tao recovered on his third snatch, after two fails. Then he missed his first two clean & jerks too, bringing back memories of the 2015 World Championships when he missed all three attempts, having led after the snatch. Thankfully, Tao rallied and made things tough on Rostami (who had set two world records earlier in the year), setting an Olympic record for the clean & jerk (217 kg) and total (395 kg), before Rostami took it from him with a 217 kg clean & jerk, and breaking his own total world record of 395 kg with a 396 kg, to capture the gold medal. The self-coached Rostami gave Iran their first gold medal of the Rio Olympics. Tao won the silver with a 395 kg total despite making only two of his six lifts.

Romania’s Gabriel Sîncrăian, who had the same total as Ulanov at 390 kg, secured the bronze by virtue of lightest body weight. On October 13, 2016, it was reported by the International Weightlifting Federation that Sîncrăian had tested positive for excess testosterone in a doping test at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and he was disqualified. In April 2017, it was announced that Sîncrăian had been suspended for eight years, expiring in August 2024. He had previously served a doping suspension from 2013-2015. There has been no upgrade from 4th to bronze for Ulanov as of 9 June 2017.