Lithuanian weightlifter lands a perfect backflip to celebrate bronze
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When Aurimas Didzbalis stepped up for his final lift of the Rio Olympics, he was already guaranteed a spot on the podium. He needed to pull off a personal best of 223 kilograms – about 492 pounds – in the clean and jerk to move up to silver.
But the weight was just a little too much for the Lithuanian and he had to settle for bronze.
If you didn’t know any better, though, you’d think Didzbalis had already locked up the gold. While the crowd sounded disappointed by his failed attempt, he channeled his inner Simone Biles and immediately followed the attempt with a perfectly executed backflip that earned him a big ovation.
Didzbalis, 25, was the 2015 European world champion in the 93-kilogram weight class, but was edged in Rio by Vadzim Straltsou of Belarus for silver and Iran’s Sohrab Moradi for gold.
His medal is the third of the 2016 Summer Games for Lithuania and the country’s first ever in weightlifting.