Olympic Runner – Bonat: ‘I’m Living a Dream… Dope’

Zacharia Bonat knew by heart his home country’s medal count in the Dominican Republic after winning a silver in the 81kg weightlifting category at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday.

Aside from including the country’s name in the Tokyo 2020 medal table, Bonat became the first Dominican weightlifter to stand on an Olympic podium. She also won the Dominican Republic’s eighth medal in its Olympic history, a medal that began in Tokyo in 1964.

“I’m really excited,” said Bonat, 25, an Olympic rookie. “I’m practically numb, I’m living a dream.”

It was Chinese champion Liu Xiaojun, who at the age of 37 became the oldest man to win an Olympic gold medal.

It was a tense definition.

Wearing golden boots, Lyu lifted 170 kg in the snatch and 204 kg in the jerk for a total of 374 kg. And he defeated Bonat by seven kilograms, and by nine kilograms, the Italian Antonino Pizzolato, who won the bronze.

Lyu’s win and Bonnat’s silver were confirmed after Pizzolato’s failed attempt to chase the world record with a 210kg clean and a jerk. Leo tried the same weight, but didn’t complete the lift.

In his red and blue uniform, Bonat was able to celebrate second place.

His performance on Saturday was progressive in three clean and superb attempts to make a difference over his Italian opponent.

“Usually the first attempt at each method is the hardest,” he commented. “The latter is not usually the easiest, but I put everything into it without keeping any energy reserve.”

The Dominicans have not failed to win medals since the 2004 Athens Games, the year Felix Sanchez took his first gold in the 400-meter hurdles. “Superman” Sanchez returned to win the gold medal at London 2012.