Mora Romero’s path from Blackpool circus to Olympic weightlifter

Ramiro Mora Romero of the refugee team, who lives and trains in Britain, celebrates after completing his final lift in the clean and jerk. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

It is not the most conventional route to the Olympics, but Ramiro Mora Romero’s background as an acrobat at a Blackpool circus added a little sparkle to his first Olympic outing at the South Paris Arena.

Mora Romero, a Cuban refugee living in Bristol, lifted personal bests in both the snatch and the clean and jerk in the men’s 102kg category. He promised that, if given residency in his adopted country, he would get a medal for Britain at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.