Gabriel Jason Pascual

After injury getting the better of him, John Ceniza bows down in the Men’s 61-kg Weightlifting qualification round, cutting his Olympic debut short, yesterday, August 7, at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.

Photo Courtesy of Isabel Infantes/Reuters.

Ceniza registered a DNF (Did Not Finish) ranking as he suffered an early exit, failing all three attempts of his starting 125 kg snatch to qualify for the following lifts.

By his first two attempts, Ceniza’s nagging injury was evident, wincing as he was unsuccessful on his way up from all of his snatch attempts.

After breaking into tears amidst his early exit, Ceniza when asked why he dropped his weight from 128 kg to 125 kg, he stated that, “Yung adrenaline ko sobrang taas na, pero mas nanguna parin yung sakit ng injury ko talaga.”

Histroy repeats itself

Subsequently, China’s Li Fabin defended his Olympic title as he racked up a 143 kg snatch, setting a new Olympic record that shattered the standing record of 142 kg in order to successfully retain his Gold.

The Chinese powerhouse also completed a 167 kg clean and jerk to bring his total to 310 kg to easily secure his gold medal early on.

Rounding out the podium, Therrapong Silachai of Thailand sits at the silver spot with his 303 kg total.

Meanwhile, USA’s 20-year-old phenom in Hampton Morris makes history as he takes home Team USA’s first men's weightlifting medal since 1984 in wake of his bronze finish.