Gardiner Just Shy of Medal

Darren Gardiner attempted a new personal best of 236kg in the final which left him just shy of a medal. This is the first time Gardiner will leave the Paralympic Games without a medal since his debut in Sydney 2000.

Gardiner won the SIlver in both the 2004 and 2008 and was looking to maintain his medal winning record when he hoisted 227kg and 231kg with his first two lifts to hold the bronze medal position.

But when he attempted a new personal best of 236, he just couldn’t elevate the bar enough to lock th elbows.

“I gave it my best shot. I pushed hard, but it just wasn’t to be,” Gardiner said.

“My last lift would have been a personal best. But there is no point in being disappointed, I gave it everything I could.”

Known as ‘Bear’ because of his prolific pre-lift growls that can rattle the walls, Gardiner proved to be a favourite of the near capacity crowd at ExCel.

With Gardiner taking fourth position, it was left to Iran’s Siamand Rahman (280kg), Iraq’s Faris Al-Ajeelli (242kg) and Korea’s Kuen Bae Chun (232kg) to finish with the medals.