The importance of this moment was underlined by the presence of a special spectator in the South Paris Weightlifting Arena: IOC President Thomas Bach. The “moment” was the participation of Ramiro Mora, a member of the Refugee Olympic Team, in the men’s 102 kg final. Two refugee lifters were included in the IWF quota of 120 athletes for these Games: Mora, originally from Cuba but currently living in the UK, and Yekta Jamali (Iran/Germany), who competed in the following session, the women’s 81 kg class.
For Mora, his first Olympic appearance will certainly remain an unforgettable milestone in his career: In the final against 13 participants, the 26-year-old took seventh place and significantly improved his personal best. He managed 166 kg in the snatch and 210 kg in the clean and jerk, for a total of 376 kg. “This is like a dream for me. I promised my mother that I would come to the Olympics and do well, and now it’s done! I’m so happy!”
Ramiro Mora
I started weightlifting when I was 14 – “Some of my friends in Cuba were going to the gym and getting stronger, and I wanted to be the same.” – Mora left the Caribbean island in 2019 to work in a circus in the UK. “I was responsible for making sure the boys sitting on the trampolines didn’t end up on the ground – I’m a strong guy, you know…” he remembers with a smile in the mixed zone of the South Paris Arena.
He is quickly spotted by the British Weightlifting Federation and receives the support he needs to continue his weightlifting career, an effort that proves fruitful as he becomes the British National Champion in 2023. “When I came to Blackpool, I immediately felt that I would find better conditions there to progress as an athlete. The proof of this is that I am here today at the Olympic Games and have achieved a great result,” Mora admits. His performance in Paris is 17 kg better than the result he achieved at the 2024 IWF World Cup in April in Phuket (THA), where he achieved 162-197-359.
Yekta Jamali
“It was quite complicated at the beginning. When I applied for asylum in the UK, I couldn’t do anything – I couldn’t work, I wasn’t allowed to do anything. Then my first coach helped me and I started training again…”Mora confesses.
With additional motivation from home – his four-month-old daughter – Mora will now continue training and his volunteer work as a children’s coach in England. “It is very nice to be able to motivate young children with our example!” On a more competitive level, he adds: “I will do everything I can to represent Great Britain at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles!”
Jamali also showed very consistent performances in the women’s event and largely improved her personal best – she came to Paris from the IWF World Cup in Thailand with a total score of 100-125-225 and left the French capital with a score of 103-128-231. At 19, the former Iranian weightlifter represented her country until 2022 and then decided to look for other opportunities in Germany, where she is actually based. Like Mora, this was Jamali’s first Olympic experience.
“It is a great satisfaction to achieve a new personal best on such a prestigious stage!” she explains after finishing her final in ninth place (out of 13).
Jamali also talked about the challenges she faced during her first year in Germany. “It hasn’t always been easy. I’ve finally found some stability to train and focus on my weightlifting career. The opportunity to be part of the refugee team here at the Games will help me in the future and maybe open the doors for more support,” Jamali gives in.
At the end of her short interview with the journalists, she also wished for more stability for the future. “If I ever get the chance to compete for Germany, I will certainly be very happy,” she confesses in quite passable German.
By Pedro Adrega
IMF Communications
