Nigeria’s Yakubu Adesokan twice broke his own world record this afternoon as he romped to powerlifting gold at the ExCel.
Nigeria’s Yakubu Adesokan twice broke his own world record this afternoon as he romped to powerlifting gold at the ExCel.
The 33-year-old came into London 2012 as overriding favourite for glory in the men’s -48kg class, having taken the world record earlier this year in Dubai with a lift of 177kg.
Adesokan lived up to his billing this afternoon as he broke countryman Ruel Ishaku’s Paralympic record of 169kg from Beijing by three kilos in his first lift.
The Ibadan-born athlete did not stop there as he, roared on by the east London crowd, broke his own world record with a lift of 178kg in just his second attempt.
That record only lasted a matter of minutes, though, as Adesokan went on to lift 180kg – almost four times his own bodyweight – to take gold with style.
“I feel overjoyed,” he said. “I went through a lot of training. I have been training for two months in Korea.
“Once I went through that training, there was no way I was going to fail.
“I can definitely lift more. It is a lot but what I usually lift in training is more than this, like 192kg.”
Adesokan was joined on the podium by Russia’s Vladimir Balynetc, who won silver with a lift of 17 0kg as Taha Abdelmagid of Egypt took bronze with 165kg.
