Uzbekistan weightlifter Sherzodjon Yusupov’s primal pre-lift scream made him an unexpected crowd favorite at the ExCel Centre.
Yusupov lets out a short but extremely loud yell — the loudest of any weightlifter so far — before his attempts. The crowd picked up on this and by the time Yusupov’s last scream and lift came around the crowd yelled right back at him to show support.
Recommended Stories
Bouyed by the atmosphere, Yusupov cleared 195 kilograms (429.9 pounds) in the clean and jerk. He then blew kisses to the British fans, many of whom gave Yusupov a standing ovation.
“I like the atmosphere, it is very warm. Everyone is shouting ‘Yeah! Yeah!’ when you lift,” Yusupov said.
— Luke Meredith — Twitter http://twitter.com/LukeMeredithAP
___
EDITOR’S NOTE — “Eyes on London” shows you the Olympics through the eyes of Associated Press journalists across the 2012 Olympic city and around the world. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.
