From internal displacement to Olympic silver: Colombian weightlifter's incredible journey

By Anastasia Moloney

When Colombian weightlifter, Oscar Figueroa, stood on a podium at the London Olympic Games clutching a silver medal, he let out a mighty roar of joy.

And so did hundreds of thousands of Colombians who had tuned in to watch Monday's weightlifting event live, cheering an achievement that has turned Figueroa into an instant national hero and household name.

Figueroa's victory in the men's weightlifting 62 kg competition is perhaps sweeter than most. 

The 29-year-old is one of an estimated five million people who've been uprooted from their homes as a result of Colombia's nearly five decade-old conflict.

Born into a humble family in Zaragoza, a town in the northwestern province of Antioquia, Figueroa was only nine when he fled his home with his mother and three siblings to escape fighting between right-wing paramilitary groups and leftist rebels.

They settled in the town of Cartago, in Colombia's southwestern region, where Figueroa discovered a talent and passion for sports, including football, basketball, and swimming. He finally settled on weightlifting after a sports teacher spotted his potential. 

His Olympic victory was immediately celebrated on social media and Twitter. Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos tweeted: "How we admire you, how we applaud you. The whole country is celebrating your victory".

One Colombian writer, Hector Abad, reflected on the personal tragedies of Figueroa and fellow Olympian Rigoberto Urán, who took a silver medal in cycling. "Silver medals. Uran – a murdered father. Figueroa- displaced by the violence. If that’s not a portrait of my country ... " Abad tweeted.

One Colombian, Leidy Marcia, tweeted: "A moment of glory for Oscar Figueroa and for Colombia!"

Displaced people in Colombia make up roughly 10 percent of the country's total population of 46 million, and are one of the most vulnerable of groups in Colombian society.

Many displaced families eventually find refuge in the poor neighbourhoods of Colombia's major cities, often scraping a living as street vendors, cleaners and part-time construction workers.

According to a local NGO, a displaced person in Colombia is more likely to be out of work, earn less, be poor and go hungry than someone who has not been displaced. They are also likely to have less schooling and miss out on university.

But Figueroa has shown it doesn't have to be that way. And with the support of his mother and tight knit family, he's achieved what few Colombians have ever dreamed of.