Lidia Valentin wants his first 'official' gold leading a thriving Spanish delegation

Lidia Valentin Ponferradina is postulated as a clear candidate to achieve the first medal in the history of the Spanish weightlifting in the Olympics, something that has already achieved informally following the recent downgrading of its rivals in London 2012, leading a powerful delegation which also includes Brachi Joshua, David Sanchez and Andres Mata.

At 31, Valentin reaches full maturity at third Olympic Games of his career and also driven by the recent news that places him as Olympic champion in London, where he finished fourth ranked, improve in a position registration Beijing ' 08.

The reanalysis recently made by the International Olympic Committee revealed that the Kazakh Svetlana Podobedova (gold), Russia's Natalya Zabolotnaya (silver) and the Belarusian Iryna Kulesha (bronze), who took the Olympic podium four years ago, did doped. None compete in Rio.

"Of course I feel gold medalist, is that I am," he said flatly Valentin just before leaving for Rio de Janeiro, where he hopes to achieve his first 'official' Olympic medal in the category of 75 kilos, in the absence of knowing whether red tape finally confirm their gold in London.

European champions in 2014 and 2015, Ponferradina comes after recovering from an injury to the dorsal area prevented him from participating this year in both the World United States and the European Norway, although reassured about his condition explaining that it is fully recovered and ready to face the most important moment of his career.


Valentin is the only woman in the Spanish delegation and the most experienced, since the three male representatives are less than 25 years, a youth that has not stopped them add important results and come to Rio with options medal.

THREE PROMISING ALREADY weightlifters have shone

The best bet is Joshua Brachi, which exploded in the last European Championship achieving the silver medal in the category of -56 kilos. Seville, first start and second in two days, fell a sigh Olympic gold in total, as he raised himself kilos Marco Scarantino (264), but the Italian won his lower body weight.

In that competition played in the Norwegian town of Forde, David Sanchez joined the other Spanish medal, bronze in the category of -69 kilos, and Almeria also feature the illusion of debutante in Hall 2 of Riocentro, home of the competition Olympic.

Who does have experience in the Games is Andres Mata, sixth in Londres'12 in the form of 67 kilos. After obtaining Olympic diploma that just 19 years, the tinerfeño tried to move up in weight, but her body was only finally compete again in its usual category, in which he finished seventh in the last European.

With these four weightlifters, Spain will seek his first medal in a sport that was already present in the 1896 Athens Games as part of gymnastics. Subsequently it consolidated as an individual sport and in 1920 Antwerp was part of the Olympic program, although women could not compete until Sydney 2000.

Currently, athletes compete in fifteen bodyweight categories, eight for men and seven for women. The test consists of two events, the start and the two times, and three attempts are allowed in each weight. The sum of both categories is the Olympic total score determines the final classification.

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--SEDE: 2 Riocentro Pavilion.

--FECHA: From 6 to 12 August.

--Participation SPANISH: Lidia Valentin (75 kg), Joshua Brachi (56 kg), David Sanchez (69 kg) and Andres Mata (77 kg).