In the weightlifting men's 61 kg class at the Tokyo Olympics, Yoichi Itokazu was fourth in the competition following the previous tournament, and did not reach the medal for the first time in 37 years as a Japanese man.

Itoh, who will be participating in the Olympics for the second consecutive tournament, failed in the first half of the "snatch" where he raised the barbell at once, but in the third time he raised 133 kg and was in third place overall, a position where he could aim for a medal. I attached it to the second half.



In the latter half of the "jerk", where the barbell was lifted to the shoulder and then raised above the head, the first time it failed 158 kg, but the second time it was 159 kg.



In the third attempt, which was the final attempt, I challenged 162 kg and lifted the barbell to my shoulder, but I could not raise it to the top of my head and it ended in failure.



The total number of threads is 292 kg, which is 2 kg behind the bronze medal player, and is in the same ranking as the previous Rio de Janeiro Games. did.



The gold medal was Li Fabin of China, who set an Olympic record of 141 kg for snatch and 172 kg for jerk, the silver medal was Eco Yuri Irawan of Indonesia, and the bronze medal was Igor Son of Kazakhstan.

Number of threads "I'm sorry I didn't go as I expected"

Itohashi said that he was slightly out of reach of the medal, finishing 4th in the second consecutive tournament, and said, "I was able to lose weight well, but I am disappointed that the match did not go as planned."



He also recalled that both Snatch and Jerk failed the first time, saying, "I was a little panicked when I mentioned it, and my whole body was sick in Jerk."



On top of that, regarding the future, "I'm 30 years old, and I think it's going to be a game for a year and a year from here. Whether to continue or stop here, consult with the director and people around me, as well as my feelings and body. I want to think while doing it. "

Near and far medals

This is the first medal in 37 years for a Japanese boy. It was close and distant.


Weightlifting Men's 61 kg class Ito number player who finished in 4th place. It was 2 kilometers behind the bronze medal.



In the Rio de Janeiro tournament, he was 3rd and 4th, 3km behind. As a result of not reaching the medal one step further at the Olympics, Itozumi was finally able to squeeze out just one word, "disappointing," after the match.



Itokazu is from Kudaka Island, which has a population of about 200 in Okinawa Prefecture. It is a place called "God's Island" in the mythical land of Ryukyu creation. A thread player with strong legs cultivated in the natural life of the island. Occasionally I returned to the island and made friends with the people of the island.



"From a small island to a medalist"



I have been competing since high school, carrying the expectations of the island. He finished 4th in the previous Olympic Games and won a silver medal at the World Championships. In recent years, winning medals in Tokyo has become a reality as a Japanese male ace who has little presence in the world.



From the last regret that he did not reach the medal slightly, he has a strong determination to "return the Olympic debt at the Olympics", but since he is 30 years old, he emphasizes quality rather than quantity of practice and reduces practice time, always We also made efforts such as creating a state close to the best condition.



The first failure echoed in the tournament production, snatch, and jerk, where weight loss was successful. I couldn't increase the weight with the plan as planned, and the long-standing challenge of "the third game" was not mentioned in the jerk.


The records were 2 kilograms for snatches and 5 kilograms for jerks, both of which were lower than their own Japanese records.



After the match, Itozumi recalled about the pressure on the big stage, saying, "I was trying not to feel it. I was trying to help everyone's support, but I wasn't strong enough."



Regarding advancement and retreat, he expressed his intention to consider whether to continue working or not. It seemed that I couldn't hide my shock until the end in the interview area.



Even so, he won two consecutive prizes at the Olympic Games, the world's highest stage. Many people, not just the islanders, should applaud the achievement.