Batches of European top lifters will fight for the gold in the men's 105kg on Monday, trying to defend the glory of Europe in weightlifting.
It's the last-but-one chance for them to claim the title. Until Saturday, Asian lifters swept all the 12 golds on offer in men's and women's events, and in the men's 94kg category on Sunday, Ilya Ilin of Kazakhstan, once again an Asian strongman, is a hot favorite for gold.
Potential gold contenders include Andrei Aramnau of Belarus, gold medalist at 2007 world championships, 2006 world champion Marcin Dolega of Poland, and Russian lifter Dmitriy Klokov, 2005 world champion.
Russian Dmitry Lapikov, runner-up at 2006 world championships, and Athens runner-up Igor Razoronov of Ukraine will also have a chance.
However, the gold isn't locked by European lifters for sure, as Kazakhstan's veteran Bakhyt Akhmetov, who was ranked third in the list with an entry total of 421kg, will also try his best to fight for the gold.
In Athens, the 15 weightlifting golds were split by Asia and Europe as Asian lifters won eight and their European counterparts got seven.
However, the performance of European lifters was really disappointing at Beijing Olympics.
Two Turkish defending champions dropped off events after failed three attempts in snatch, several Russian top hands were always one step away from the gold, and the whole Bulgarian team was barred from the Beijing Olympics due to doping scandal.
European strongmen will also have a chance in the men's +105kg category on Tuesday. As legendary Iranian Hossein Rezazadeh pulled out of the Olympics due to a knee injury, the title of "world's strongest man" is open to competition.
(Xinhua News Agency August 17, 2008)