Pakistan celebrates birth of a hero after Weightlifter Talha Talib misses out on Olympic medal

Pakistan celebrates the birth of a hero after Weightlifter Talha Talib misses out on Olympic gold!

The 21-year-old lifter hailing from Gujranwala, made his Olympics debut on Saturday taking part in the 67kg category.

The young weightlifter held the gold medal spot until the final round however he finished on the fifth spot as China’s Lijun Chen, Colombia’ Luis Javier Mosquera Lozano, and Italy’s Mirko Zani captured gold, silver, and bronze respectively.

Talib’s lift of 151kg in the Snatch category was the second-best of the round.

But he failed in his first Clean & Jerk attempt of 166kg and even though he was successful for the same weight in his next attempt and also cleared 170kg.

But in the end, it wasn’t his lucky day as his combined total of 320 Kg was surpassed by others, including Italy’s Mirko Zani, who lifted just 2kg more than Talib.

Pakistanis on Twitter hail Talib’s performance despite an obvious lack of resources.

 

Pakistan cricket team allrounder Shadab Khan in a tweet said: “Pakistan is proud of Talha Talib. Urge sponsors and sports administration to help athletes like Talha, they have the potential to bring home Olympic medals and make Pakistan proud if given the facilities and financial support.”

Cricketer Javeria Khan in a tweet said: “Win or lose, you have already made Pakistan proud. Talha Talib“

Messages continue to pour in social media praising Talha Talib for all the efforts he has put in despite a lack of professional training. 

Talib’s entry into 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.