The 21-year-old Pakistani weighlifter Talha Talib fell just two kilograms short of history at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Sunday. He was able to finish fifth in the 67kg category with an overall impressive lifting of 320 KG of weight.
In the snatch round, Talib finished second on the table after lifting 150 KG weight whereas in the Clean & Jerk round, the Gujranwala-born—despite failing in the first attempt—managed to lift 170 KG weight in the third attempt.
Talha — who was making his first appearance at Olympic — previously won a gold medal for Pakistan in the 2016 Commonwealth Youth Championships in Penang, Malaysia whereas he also won a silver at the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games in Apia in Samoa.
China’s Chen Lijun managed to win the gold medal with collective weightlifting of 332 KGs whereas Columbia’s Mosquera Lozano Luis Javier and Italy’s Zanni Mirko finished on the second and third spot after lifting weights of 331 and 322 KGs.
Talib’s journey to Tokyo Olympics was made possible after the International Olympic Committee accepted a request from the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and offered the young lifter an invitation place in -67kgs category.
He has clinched medals in Commonwealth (bronze), South Asian Games (gold) and International Solidarity Weightlifting Championship (gold), according to POA.
Many sport personalities, journalists and civil society have urged government of Pakistan, sponsors and sports administration to help athletes like Talha.