Ecuadorian weightlifter Barrera captures Oly gold by huge margin

The bronze medal went to Mexican Aremi Fuentes Zavala, who tallied 245kg.

Barrera, the bronze medallist at the 2019 World Championships, stormed to a comfortable lead in the snatch as she hoisted 118kg, five kilos more than Iryna Dekha of Ukraine, winner in the European Championships this year.

The 23-year-old extended her advantage in the clean and jerk with a lift of 145kg, totalling 263kg to win. She has become the third athlete representing Ecuador to win a medal at the Olympic Games.

Dekha, 25, lost momentum as she failed all her attempts in the clean and jerk. Nye, junior world champion in 2019, clinched silver with a total of 249kg, and the bronze went to Arem Fuentes Zavala of Mexico with 245kg.

The 22-year-old Nye won the world title in the women's 71kg event in 2019, an event not on the Olympic programme. The only female representing the USA to win a gold medal in weightlifting at the Olympics was Tara Nott in the 48kg event at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.