Weightlifting: Weight of expectation too much for Greek star

By EUGENE BINGHAM in Athens

The stage in the new Olympic weightlifting complex was built for giants to tread.

In the 94kg division held early yesterday, the men were not the biggest competitors awaited centrestage (that will be the superheavyweights).

But one of them was a giant, no less.

Akakios "Kakhi" Kakiasvilis is a national hero in Greece, which has proudly adopted one of the most successful lifters in Olympic history.

Kakhi first won a gold medal in 1992 representing Georgia, where he was born to a Greek mother. In 1996 and 2000, he won gold for his new country. With the Games in Athens, Kakhi was destined for another, surely?

To reach the Nikaia Olympic Weightlifting Hall, the bus winds through Athens' southern suburbs, barely fitting the road separating the rows of squat concrete apartment blocks. Greek flags hang over the balconies, and, early yesterday, televisions were put outside on the street so neighbours could gather to watch the great man in action.

Outside the arena, men clad in jeans and smoking cigarettes held worry beads in one hand and, more important, a ticket in the other.

Also in attendance were the more finely-dressed A-list socialites, including the president of the Games organising committee, Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki.

To Greeks weightlifting is a premier Olympic event. It's competitors are stellar athletes, and, in a country where its two athletic heroes were undone before a race was run, the Greeks were eager to revere Kakhi and see him win gold once more.

New Zealand has enjoyed success at Commonwealth level in weightlifting, but it has a tiny following compared with Greece. The crowd were enthusiastic and knowledgeable.

Besides the fortunes of Kakhi, the competition had plenty of drama, each character bringing his quirks to the stage. Iranian Shahin Nasirinia would pause in front of the bar, and address the spectators as if an orator.

Nizami Pashayev, of Azerbaijan, threatened the life of an official when he dropped the bar, sending it rolling out of control towards the judge. The official sat still save for putting out his hand in what would have been a futile effort to stop the 180kg juggernaut, but luckily it stopped. The crowd applauded the judge's bravery.

In dramatic style, Kakhi waited until virtually all the other competitors had made their first attempt at the snatch before he emerged.

The crowd went wild as if it was a rock concert. Then they obediently hushed for his lift, calling "shshshsh".

Kakhi's first attempt of 180kg was 8kg less than his world record, so the fans expected it to be a breeze. He waited until the clock had virtually run down before heaving it from the ground.

As he went to heave it skywards, the weight grew too heavy for him and he dropped it. The crowd still adored him.

The one man to follow Kakhi was Bulgarian Milen Dobrev, the 24-year-old European champion. Ominously, he made an easy, controlled snatch of 180kg. On his third snatch, he managed 187.5kg.

Kakhi, however, was in trouble. He completed his second lift (180kg), but that would be his night.

At 35, he was the oldest competitor, and had to suffer the ignominy of watching younger lifters manage what he would once have considered simple. Dobrev dominated, lifting 220kg in the clean and jerk to take his total to 407.5kg, 2 1/2kg more than Khadjimourad Akkaev, of Russia, and 10kg more than Eduard Tjukin, also of Russia.

Kakhi did not finish the competition, his first Olympics without gold.

And Greece was still searching for hero to take the stage at these Games.