Hampton Morris becomes first American man to win Olympic weightlifting medal in 40 years

Li Fabin of China defended his Olympic weightlifting title on Wednesday, winning the men's 61-kilogram division, while Hampton Morris became the first American man to earn a weightlifting medal at the Games in four decades.

After going into the competition as the overwhelming favorite to repeat, the 31-year-old Li set a Games snatch record by lifting 143 kilograms (315 pounds) on his third and final attempt. That paved the way to gold for Li, who set the top Olympic snatch and overall marks in this category three years ago when winning in Tokyo.

Already with a big lead, Li lifted 167 kilograms (368 pounds) in the clean and jerk to seal it with a score of 310.