Weightlifter Lasha Talakhadze wins third successive Olympic gold: Decoding campaigns
What's the story
Georgian weightlifter Lasha Talakhadze scripted history by winning his third successive Olympic gold. He triumphed at the 2024 Paris Games, having lifted a total of 470kg in the final. The Georgian participated in the men's +102 kg event. No other athlete has as many or more Olympic gold medals in the super heavyweight category. Here we decode Talakhadze's medal haul.
2016
Triumph in the 2016 Games
The 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games marked Lasha's Olympic debut. He took part in the men's +105 kg category that year and recorded the then world record in snatch, having lifted 215kg. His best lift in the clean & jerk event was 258kg as he finished with 473kg in total. Lasha's total was also a world record back then.
2020
Another win in Toyo
Lasha took part in the men's +109 kg in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He broke his own world records both in snatch and clean & jerk, having lifted 223kg and 265kg, respectively. Hence, his final total of 488 was also a world record. The Georgian was miles ahead of his competitors as silver medalist Ali Davoudi of Iran recorded a final total of 441.
2024
The Paris triumph
Lasha was the favorite heading into the 2024 Paris Games as he entered with world records in snatch and clean & jerk (men's +102 kg). While his best snatch read 215kg, Bahrain's Gor Minasyan (216) was marginally ahead in this portion. However, Lasha's best lift in the clean & jerk event was 255kg as he clinched gold with a total of 470.
Feats
Lasha in a league of his own
Regarded as one of the greatest weightlifters of all time, the 30-year-old Lasha is the owner of several world records. Besides being a three-time Olympic champion, he is a seven-time world champion, and seven-time European Championship winner. He is a three-time winner of the IWF Male Lifter of the Year award.