 Another sore loser eyes London
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-08-20 08:39  Turkish weightlifter Sedat Artuc's bid to swap his Olympic bronze medal for a better color ended in tears. Artuc, at ninth in the world, was the best-placed among the men's 56kg lifters on show in Beijing during Sunday's morning session as he set about equalling his 115kg heave in the snatch in the world championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, last year. However, a thigh injury sustained in training the week before acted up as he failed with all three attempts, leading to his early elimination. The 32-year-old, seeking to inherit the crown of his fellow Turk world record-holder Halil Mutlu, absent from these Games, pounded the bar with both fists and cried openly in frustration as he and the weights collapsed back to the floor. "There was something wrong with his right thigh yesterday and I gave him an injection today," Turkey team doctor Ibrahim Yahmin told AFP after the event. "He felt so-so this morning but chose to continue," Yahmin said, shrugging. "I understand how he feels." Artuc also failed to finish at the European championships earlier this year. And with Father Time knocking, he faces a fight to represent his country in London in four years' time. Turkey's expectations in the build-up to the 2008 Games were high, and authorities expected to top their Athens' 10-medal haul. But the team has underperformed with only 2 silver medals and 1 bronze so far. Agencies (China Daily 08/20/2008 page38) |
