Russia has “lost a medal” after a leading contender in women’s weightlifting withdrew from the Olympics with injury, the president of the Russian Weightlifting Association told R-Sport on Thursday.
Russia’s Oksana Slivenko came second in the 69 kilogram category in Beijing in 2008 and won the world and European titles in her class next year, repeating her European triumph in April 2012.
“She literally injured herself yesterday. It’s dreadful. We’ll say we’ve lost a medal,” Sergei Syrtsov said.
He did not specify what sort of injury had affected her.
Slivenko's place in the Russian weightlifting squad will now be taken by Natalia Zabolotnaya, who competes in the 75 kilogram category, Syrtsov said.
Russia has not won an Olympic gold medal in weightlifting since Athens in 2004.
In Beijing, Slivenko’s silver medal was one of four silver and three bronze medals for the Russian squad.
The gold medal winner in Beijing, China’s Liu Chunhong, set world records in the snatch, clean and jerk and the total, all of which still stand.
