Emily Campbell: Team GB star wins weightlifting bronze after 'tough road' to Paris 2024 Olympics, Li Wenwen takes gold
Updated 11/08/2024 at 16:05 GMT+1
Team GB's Emily Campbell clinched bronze in the women's weightlifting on the final day of the Olympics with a score of 288 across the snatch and clean and jerk events. It adds to Campbell's silver she won at Tokyo 2020, which China's Li Wenwen also won gold at. Campbell's bronze marks Team GB's 65th medal in Paris, one better than their tally in Tokyo.
'Staying at the top is a whole different ball game' - Campbell on 'journey' to second Olympic medal
Video credit: TNT Sports
Emily Campbell won bronze for Team GB in the women's +81kg weightlifting at Paris 2024 with a total score of 288.
With her trademark hair buns adorned with red, white and blue, she put herself in an excellent position for the clean and jerk after lifting 126kg in her final snatch attempt.
She lifted her first clean and jerk of 162kg with ease before failing at 169kg.
The 30-year-old made a final attempt of 174kg, which would have seen her move into silver, but failed the lift.
Despite that, Campbell was overjoyed to secure bronze and celebrated with a cartwheel across the stage.
"It has been a tough road to get to these Games," Campbell told Eurosport after winning bronze.
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Watch as GB's Campbell 'does it again' as she lifts 126kg with ease and celebrates in style
Video credit: TNT Sports
"I have had a lot of injuries and doubts whether I could get back to the shape I was in in Tokyo, but I have done it and I am even better," she said, adding that the crowd was there "ever single step of the way".
“It is kind of nuts when you say it like that (winning medals at two Olympics), it’s amazing and just hope I have done everyone proud and British weightlifting gets the recognition that they deserve. They have supported me through thick and thin in the lead up to this, so I am so glad I could get another medal for my country."
China's Li Wenwen took gold with a score of 309, winning her second straight Olympic gold after clinching the title in Tokyo, while South Korea's Park Hye-jeong won silver with 299.
It means that Team GB will leave Paris with 65 medals, one more than their total in Tokyo, where Campbell won silver in the +87kg.
Li successfully lifted 136kg in the snatch before pulling off a clean and jerk of 173kg for a total of 309kg.
The 24-year-old's total was 10kg more than silver medallist Park, who lifted 131kg in the snatch but only 168kg in the clean and jerk.
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The gold medallist stepped up to attempt 174kg in her final clean and jerk, having already clinched gold after Park failed her final attempt of 173kg.
Li instead let the time run down and stepped off the platform to embrace and pick up her coach, lifting him onto the stage with ease in a beautiful moment.
Tokyo saw Campbell become the first British woman to win a medal in weightlifting at the Olympics, and her silver means she remains the only British female weightlifter to finish on the podium.
“It’s really, really sweet [winning bronze]. The field was tough today, it was a lot tougher than it was in Tokyo, you needed bigger numbers and to come out and assert your dominance," Campbell said.
"I was really happy, I felt really good and I just enjoyed this crowd. This crowd is incredible; it was basically like having a home crowd. As the only European I had to take advantage of it – we’re down the road.
"I felt the crowd’s energy as soon as I came out for my walkout. I was like, ‘wow this crowd is nuts’, and I am a bit of a show-off, so I do like a crowd to perform to. And if you can hear the shouting behind me, that’s definitely my family making a lot of noise, they’re just as nuts as me. It was so special to have them in the audience to share this moment with me."
Britain end the Games with 14 gold, 22 silver and 29 bronze medals.
discovery+ is the streaming home of the Olympic Games, and the only place you can watch every moment of Paris 2024 this summer
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