News He may compete in a sport known for great shows of physical force, but Colombian weightlifter Oscar Figueroa relies on his more gentle side to ensure success The Olympic silver medallist, who is fighting his way back into contention after a back operation in January, has revealed that he finds inspiration in nature and meditation In town for the Rio 2016 weightlifting test event – the Aquece Rio South American Championship – Figueroa hopes to show he is on track to win another medal at the Olympic Games in August The pressure is immense: weightlifting is one of the most popular Olympic sports in Colombia, behind only cycling in terms of medals  “There’s a lot of pressure because the Colombian public have very high expectations of their weightlifters and they expect great results,” Figueroa said So how does he cope with the pressure? “I medidtae a lot and I like to be in regular contact with nature,” he said Rio’s natural beauty should be a real bonus and the Colombian is already planning a trip to the city’s world-famous Botanical Gardens Become a weightlifting expert with our interactive infographicFigueroa celebrates his silver medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Getty Images/Lars Baron)Figueroa’s preparations for Rio 2016 have been far from ideal The South American Championship will mark his return to competition after undergoing an operation for a back injury in January   “I am at about 65 per cent of my maximum capacity,” he said “I’m here to build up my confidence for the competition ” By the time of the Pan-American Championships in June, Figueroa aims to reach 90 per cent and be full power in time for the Olympic Games in August Figueroa has always been a fighter and it would be a foolhardy opponent who wrote off his chances Aged just nine, he and his family were forced to flee their home town of Zaragoza, driven out by conflicts between paramilitary forces and guerrillas It was in his new home in Cartago that he tried his hand at a number of sports before dedicating himself to weightlifting After taking gold at the 2001 world junior championships, Figueroa partly stepped back from the sport for his military service, although he was still able to train in army barracks He finished fifth at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and, after taking silver at the world championships, went into Beijing 2008 as a strong medal candidate But disaster struck in the shape of a slipped disc and, unable even to grip the bar, Figueroa was eliminated Redemption came four years later in London After comfortably lifting 142kg Figueroa stunned the crowd by increasing the weight to a staggering 177kg, which he lifted at the third attempt for a new Olympic record and the silver medal “You need to have guts when you’re up against it You need a dream, a goal and above all your family ”Oscar Figueroa Since London, Figueroa has moved up from the 62kg category to 69kg and his performance in the test event in Carioca Arena 1, which takes place from Thursday 7 April to Sunday 10 April, will give a good indication of his chances for Rio 2016 The test event will see 120 athletes from 13 different countries compete in the Olympic host city, including specially invited athletes from the USA, Germany, Panama and Thailand With the Olympic competition to be staged in another venue, Riocentre Pavilion 2, the organising committee’s weightlifting competition manager, Pedro Meloni, said the main focus of testing would be on the Olympic stage that will be used Of the 22 Rio 2016 departments who will be action during the test event, four – sport competition, sport presentation, results and anti-doping – will operate to an Olympic Games standard