Figueroa quits after lifting gold

Oscar Figueroa, a 33-year-old Colombian who practises meditation and was recently sentenced to 16 months in prison, broke down in tears and retired after winning Olympic gold in the men's 62kg weightlifting on Monday.

Figueroa, a silver medallist at the London 2012 Games who escaped jail when the sentence was commuted, came out on top in a head-to-head battle with Indonesia's Eko Yuli Irawan.

He was roared on by hundreds of noisy Colombian supporters who cheered his every attempt.

Figueroa's meditation clearly helped because while his supporters were in a frenzy he remained a picture of calmness.

He lifted 142kg in the snatch and 176kg in the clean and jerk for a 318kg total and edged Irawan by six kilos when the Indonesian failed with a 179kg attempt in the clean and jerk.

With gold assured, Figueroa fell to his knees in tears. He stayed there for a minute or so, then removed his shoes and placed them on the stage as a sign that he would now retire.