31st SEA Games Weightlifting; Eko Yuli Irawan Bags Gold in Men's 61 Kg

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian weightlifter Eko Yuli Irawan has continued his strong performance in the men's 61 kg class as the Tokyo Olympics 2020 gold medal winner also ended up taking home gold in the 31st SEA Games 2021.

His performance at the Hanoi SportsTraining and Competition Center on May 20 made sure that he took home another gold medal at the biennial sporting event by tallying a total lift of 290 kg from snatch (135 kg) and clean and jerk (155 kg).

Eko opened his snatch with 130 kg on his first attempt and smoothly increased that to 135 kg in his second attempt, however, the 32-year-old weightlifter did not succeed to lift his 138 kg trial but remained at the top with a 135 kg snatch.

In the clean and jerk category, Eko actually managed to lift 155 kg on the first try. However, the force was declared invalid by the jury. Luckily, Eko managed to finish the batch and ensured the 61 Kg class gold medal which was also Indonesia's first weightlifting gold.

“Alhamdulillah, I am able to contribute gold again to Indonesia. Whenever I am needed, I will always be ready to represent my country,” said Eko.

The 61 kg silver was won by Malaysian lifter Aznil Bin Bidin Muhammad, who tallied a total weight of 287 kg, while bronze was won by Vietnamese lifter Ngoc Trung Nguyen with a total lift of 286 kg. 

Irawan’s personal record in weightlifting has not been passed in the current event as he lifted a total of 317 kg in the 2018 World Weightlifting Championship at Turkmenistan. 

ANTARA

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