London 2012: Oliver sets two personal bests in Olympic debut

Great Britain's Jack Oliver celebrates his British record equalling lift in the Men's 77kg weightlifting at the ExCel Arena, London. Photo credit: Steve Parsons/PA wire

By James Cunliffe
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
11:53 AM

Olympic weightlifting: Jack Oliver lifts himself to new heights

Jack Oliver set two new clean and jerk personal bests in the 77kg men’s weightlifting group B to mark an outstanding Olympic Games debut.

His combined score of 310kgs - also a new best - was not enough to bid for a medal but after bombing out of the British Championships in May it was a promising return for the 21-year-old who will have many more Games ahead of him.

Despite a nervous start in the opening snatch phase, where he failed with his first attempt, the Sidcup powerhouse went on to complete his next two lifts of that session and then breeze through his three efforts in the clean and jerk competition.

For a brief period in that phase Oliver - who was greeted by rapturous applause from the home crowd every time he took to the stage at London’s ExCel Arena - even topped group B after his clean and jerk success at 160kgs which set his total at 300kgs.

Kazakhstan’s Kirril Pavlov overtook him with his lift of 165kgs but Oliver - whose 140kgs earlier in the snatch was only five kilograms short of David Morgan’s British record - matched that weight to set a new personal best.

It left him with one final lift with which to set a second PB of 170kgs and the Europa Weightlifting Club youngster didn’t disappoint, finishing fourth in the group B standings ahead of tonight’s group A competition.

Impressive 19-year-old Spaniard Andres Eduardo Mata Perez will have his eye on those weightlifters, to see if he will claim a medal, after he topped group B with a total to 338kgs.