Plēsnieks lifted 410 kg in combined weight, the third-best result after Uzbek Akbar Djuraev and Armenian Simon Martirosyan.
In the snatch, the Latvian athlete lifted 175 kg in first attempt and 180 in second attempt successfully, but the third attempt - 183 kg - was unsuccessful.
In the clean and jerk, Plēsnieks lifted first 220, then 225 and finally 230 kilograms, setting a record for Latvia.
For Plēsnieks, the Tokyo games are his third Olympic Games. In Rio de Janeiro, he finished eighth but in 2012 London Games he ranked fifth in the weight category 105 kg.
Congratulations started flooding social media immediately, including from President Egils Levits.
Sveicu mūsu spēkavīru Artūru Plēsnieku ar izcīnīto bronzas godalgu Tokijā! Lepojamies par skaisto, augstvērtīgo sasniegumu! #Tokyo2020 @Olimpiade_lv
— Egils Levits (@valstsgriba) August 3, 2021
We can only add our congratulations to Plēsnieks. Well done, big man!
Lepojamies un no sirds sveicam svarcēlāju Artūru Plēsnieku ar bronzas medaļas iegūšanu olimpiskajās spēlēs! 🇱🇻 pic.twitter.com/yOoGBggrV9
— Latvijas Televīzija (@LatvijasTV) August 3, 2021