Mexico may not feature high up in the medal chart but this country’s athletes continued to give heart-warming performances at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, as the games entered their second and final week.

Aremi Fuentes picked up Mexico’s third bronze in the 76-kilogram weightlifting category. The 28-year-old Chiapas native lifted 108 kg and 137 kg (more than double her body weight) in the two phases (snatch and clean and jerk) for a total of 245 kg.  The weightlifter overcame injuries and doubts over her fitness in the past two years to pull through and take the coveted prize.

So close

Meanwhile, 26-year-old Alexa Moreno from Tijuana became Mexico’s best-ever artistic gymnast, placing fourth in the women’s vault competition. The result was a huge vindication for Moreno, who during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro was targeted online by critics of her body shape. “It really hurt me,” she said later. “I am not an emotionless robot. However, my parents were there and they helped bring me back to earth. In the end you should only pay attention to the criticisms from those who care about you.”

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