New Zealander Stas Chalaev was forced to withdraw from the men’s 105kg weightlifting competition today because of dehydration.
Chalaev, 31, was one of the favourites for the event. He was a silver medallist at both the 2010 Delhi and 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
From the start of the competition Chalaev seemed to be lethargic and somewhat short of his best. He came into the competition at 147kg and missed it. Then he lifted 148kg but missed 150kg.
The New Zealand medical staff were a little concerned about their lifter’s condition and after examining him, the decision was made to withdraw him. He was suffering from dehydration, perhaps partly because of the heat and also because he’d had to lose a couple of kilograms late in the piece to make the weight.