Light-Heavyweight (≤82½ kilograms), Men

Soviet Armenian Yurik Vardanyan had won this title in 1980, was the world record holder, and was World Champion in 1981 and 1983. He would have been heavily favored but in his absence, Romania’s Petre Becheru won the gold medal with a total of 355.0 kg. In comparison, Vardanyan won the 1984 Friendship Games, breaking his own world record with a total of 405.0 kg, while second went to Bulgaria’s Asen Zlatev with 380.0 kg. Behind Becheru Australian Robert Kabbas won the Olympic silver medal and Japan’s Ryoji Isaoka the bronze. Kabbas never won another international medal, but Isaoka won the 1982 Asian Games title in this class and Becheru would win a bronze medal in the 1987 European Championships.