Archive from 2014

Superheavyweights and records

Tatiana Kashirina, from Russia, set five world records on her way to victory in the women’s super-heavyweight category on another remarkable day at the IWF World Championships in Almaty. She won by 28kg, was more than 50kg clear of the bronze medallist, and beat three of her 11 rivals by 100kg or more. In a great day for Russia they won all three golds in the men’s +105kg too. The favourite, Behdad Salimikordasiabi from Iran, was below his best and Ruslan Albegov won the snatch and the total, with his teammate Aleksei Lovchev taking the clean-and-jerk gold despite having failed with all three snatch attempts. The spread of medals on the final day left North Korea top of the medals table for the first time not just in weightlifting, but in any sporting world championship. Kashirina, 23, is 13kg lighter than her closest challenger here, Meng Suping of China, but she did not even start lifting until Meng and the other 10 lifters had finished their three lifts in the snatch. The target to beat was Meng’s 140kg. Rather than start on 140, which would have been enough for gold, Kashirina went in at 145, then broke her own world record with a lift of 152kg. She made that look easy, and returned to beat it again, lifting 155kg. That huge lead meant the contest was over already – the only question was, how many more times would Kashirina break world records. The answer was three: two in the total and, to complete a full house, a clean-and-jerk best of 193kg. That clean-and-jerk beat the world best set at the Asian Games six weeks ago by Loulou Zhou. Zhou, China’s number one in this +75kg category, was not in the team here after her exertions in South Korea. China ended with nine golds compared to 20 last year. “We are disappointed,” said Meng. “We must try to find out why we are not so good as before, but we will be strong again, especially in the Olympics.” Kashirina made five lifts – she did not bother with her sixth – and broke one or more world records with four of them. The 14kg increase in the total was the biggest margin of gain in any world record since the new weight categories were introduced in 1998. Meng won all three silvers and two Thai lifters shared the bronze medals. At one point in the clean-and-jerk, while Kashirina was waiting for everyone to finish, the two Thais – Chitchanok Pulsabsakul and Praeonapa Khenjantuek, had six successive lifts. “We’re good friends and we train together, but in competition it’s a fight,” said Khenjantuek. “But after this we’re friends again.” Pulsabsakul took bronze in the snatch and overall, while Khenjantuek came third in the clean-and-jerk. In the men’s super-heavyweights both the top two said they were performing well below their best. Runner-up Salimikordasiabi missed a year of training during a dispute with the national team coach, since departed, and said he was only able to perform at 80per cent of his best. Albegov had a back injury that interrupted his preparations. “I could only train properly once a week, and I can do better,” he said. Mohamed Ehsan, from Egypt, took the overall bronze, 26kg behind Albegov and 21kg behind Salimikordsiabi, who failed with his gold-medal attempt at 257kg. by Brian

DPR Korea on verge of becoming most successful nation in 2014

DPR Korea have won 12 gold medals at the 2014 world Championships, three more than China, who follow with nine. If DPR Korea is still on top after Sunday's events, it is the first time they will have the most gold medals in a single weightlifting World Championships. The last year China failed to first on the medal table in a single weightlifting World Championships was 13 years ago. In 2001, Russia won eight gold medals, two more than China. The last time China finished with fewer than 10 gold medals in a single World Championships was in 2001. Women's +75kg Tatiana Kashirina (RUS) has won six world titles in the women's +75kg and is two gold medals shy of the event record held by Jang Mi-Ran (KOR). Jang Mi-Ran won her record eight world titles in this event between 2005 and 2009, while Kashirina has won her titles between 2009 and 2013. Kashirina has won the Snatch world title in the +75kg event three times (2009, 2010, 2011), which ties the record held by Mu Shuangshuang (CHN, 2005, 2006, 2007). Men's +105kg Behdad Salimikordasiabi (IRI) has won four world titles in the +105kg, recoding a hat-trick (winning Snatch, Clean and Jerk and Total) in 2011 and winning the Total in 2010. He did not participate at the 2013 World Championships. Salimikordasiabi can become the second man to record two hat-tricks in this event following his compatriot Hossein Rezazadeh (IRI), who achieved this feat in 2002 and 2006. Salimikordasiabi's four gold medals rank him third in the +105kg behind Rezazadeh's 10 and Jabeer Saeed Salem's (QAT)

Ilyin Ilya rocked the 105kg bodyweight

Whatever other sport was going on around the world yesterday (Sat) it surely cannot have matched the IWF World Championships for drama, excitement and breathtaking quality. The world’s most popular weightlifter rounded off a remarkable evening by setting a third world record in three successive lifts – all by different men. Ilya Ilyin, double Olympic champion and favourite not just of the home Kazakh supporters, but of many thousands more around the world, brought the crowd to their feet in a stunning finale to the men’s 105kg. It would not have been possible to script a better finish for the fans, who had paid $90 a ticket, and the worldwide television audience. Tactical switches by the coaches of Ilyin, his good friend Ruslan Nurudinov of Uzbekistan, and David Bedzhanyan from Russia meant that the last four clean-and-jerk lifts of the night would all be higher than the world record of 238kg. Ilyin, having made four out of four, failed with his fifth lift, a world record attempt at 239kg. Next up was Nurudinov, who made the lift. He nodded approval of his own effort while the partisan crowd cheered and applauded respectfully. Bedzhayan, the man whose record had just been beaten, had missed at 236kg but had to go to 240kg to take the lead. He did it. Nurudinov’s world record had lasted little more than a minute. So did Bedzhayan’s. Ilyin, wearing a light blue uniform with his name printed on the back, marched purposefully forward. The bar had gone up to 242kg, which would be enough for clean-and-jerk and overall victory. He cleaned it quickly and easily, and as he raised his arms the whole crowd stood and roared – spectators, fellow athletes, VIPs, Press and even some of the officials. It was magnificent. As if that was not enough for one night, we then had the bizarre sight of Ilyin taking a phone call while he was on the podium for the snatch medal ceremony. The sports minister handed him the phone and Ilyin took the call, from the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Narzarbayev. They arranged to meet each other on Kazakhstan’s Independence Day, December 16. To round off the entertainment Ilyin then revealed that he had increased his weight, trained relentlessly – especially in the last six weeks - and won his world title as a vegetarian. When he had won gold at London 2012 Ilyin spoke of the benefits of eating plenty of chicken and horsemeat, a favourite in Kazakhstan. Now he said that he did not digest meat easily and that, despite the misgivings of his coaches, he had cut it out altogether several months ago. “I feel lighter, freer, and I exercise more efficiently,” he said. “I base my diet on my feelings. It helps and it works.” As long as he takes in enough protein, he is fine without meat. Although many Indian lifters are vegetarian, nobody has yet been able to name a vegetarian who ever won a world title. Ilyin has now won IWF World Championship titles at three weights – 85kg, 94kg and 105kg. His Olympic golds in 2008 and 2012 were both at 94kg. His next target, he said, is a third Olympic gold, this time at 105kg. He was planning to celebrate with his close friends last night (Saturday), and as well as training hard he will continue his English lessons. He is planning visits to the United States and Britain. Maybe some vegetarian food companies will want to sign him up. In the women’s 75kg PRK strengthened their position at the top of the medals table. Kim Un Ju won both the clean-and-jerk and the overall golds, while China could not manage any. Kang Yue, China’s big hope, was one of three lifters who finished on 126kg in the snatch but lost out to Russia’s Nadezhda Evstiukhina on bodyweight, with Kim third. Evstiukhina then faltered badly in the clean-and-jerk, missing her first two lifts. “I wasn’t aggressive enough, and I have some technical problems to sort out,” she said after finishing on 153kg, four behind Kim. PRK are favourites to finish on top of the medals table for the first time in any major championship in any sport. They are three golds ahead of China, whose last chance lies with Suping Meng in the women’s +105kg today (Sunday). She needs a clean sweep for China to overtake

Evstyukhina (RUS) hoping to end Russia’s golden drought

Five-time world champion Nadezda Evstyukhina (RUS) is hoping to end Russia golden drought with only two day of competition at the 2014 World Weightlifting Championships in Almaty. That elusive medal would raise Russia's total in the competition to 100 and would make it the fourth country to reach the milestone after China, Soviet Union and Bulgaria. Women's 75kg Nadezda Evstyukhina (RUS) has won five world titles in the women's 75kg and is two gold medals shy of Svetlana Podobedova's (KAZ) record in this event, since the introduction of the current weight categories in 1998. Evstyukhina's total of 15 medals is already a record in this event. She is the only woman to win five medals in the Snatch, Clean and Jerk and Total in the 75kg. Evstyukhina is one medal shy of the all-time record of 16 medals by an individual set by Jang Mi-Ran in the women's +75kg (since 1998). The record total of most medals won within an event at the World Championships (since 1998) is six, also set by Jang Mi-Ran in the women's +75kg Clean and Jerk. Evstyukhina can equal the Russian record of most world titles as she is three shy of Oxana Slivenko's (RUS) record of eight, which she won in the women's 69kg between 2006 and 2011. China and Russia have won a record 10 gold medals in this event, with China having the record in the Clean and Jerk and Total (4 world titles) and Russia in the Snatch (4 world titles). Men's 105kg Ilya Ilyin (KAZ) can become the seventh male lifter to win a Total world title in a record equalling three different weight categories. Ilyin already has won world championship titles in the men's 85kg (2005) and men's 94kg (2006 and 2011). Ilyin is the world record holder in the men's 94kg at 418 kilogrammes. The top mark in the 105kg is 436 kilogrammes, set by Andrei Aramnau (BLR) at Beijing 2008. Ilyin has won a total of five gold medals at the World Championships, the most by a male competitor representing Kazakhstan. He has also won one silver and one bronze medal. Defending champion in Snatch, Clean and Jerk and Total is Ruslan Nurudinov (UZB). Only three athletes have won more than three gold medals in this event. Dmitriy Klokov (RUS) and Vladimir Smortchkov (RUS) are both on 4 gold medals and record holder Marcin Dolega (POL) is on 7 world titles in the men's

Kazakhstan’s double in the men’s 94

PRK overtook China at the top of the medals table at the IWF World Championships in Almaty yesterday afternoon and, after a sensational finish in the men’s 94kg two and a half hours later, they have a good chance of staying there. In the first medal event of the day 20-year-old Un Hui Ryo won her first world title with a clean sweep of three golds in the women’s 69kg. That took North Korea to 10 golds, one more than China, and she said, “China was the strongest nation in weightlifting before, but not now. That’s in the past!” Hao Liu then made a brave effort to put China back on top, by virtue of a better silver-bronze record, in the 94kg clean-and-jerk. It was great entertainment and the crowd, with two Kazakh athletes to cheer, loved it, making more noise than we have heard all week. Liu was out of form in the snatch. He failed with two of his three lifts and was down in 15th place, 23kg behind gold medallist Vladimir Sedov, from Kazakhstan, after making only 165kg. His first attempt the clean-and-jerk was 50kg heavier at 215kg, and he made it. Liu then failed with his second lift, on 221kg, but made his third attempt. He had moved up nine places and although he had no chance in the overall contest he was suddenly in gold-medal position in the clean-and-jerk with three lifters to finish. Rinat Kireev from Russia, failed at 224kg. So did the next man, Vadzim Straltsou from Uzbekistan. That left only the home hope Zhassulan Kydyrbayev, who went up 8kg to 229kg in one last attempt to overtake Liu and take the overall victory from his fellow countryman Vladimir Sedov, who had posted a seemingly unbeatable total of 407kg. Kydyrbayev made it, the crowd went wild, and somewhere back in their team hotel the North Koreans will have been celebrating too. They expect more gold in today’s women’s 75kg (Saturday) and believe they will finish ahead of China in the final table on Sunday. There are four more medal events to come. Ryo always looked the likely winner of the women’s contest, despite the distraction of the crowd booing her during her lift as she attempted to overtake Kazakhstan’s Zhazira Zhapparkul for victory. When asked about that afterwards Ryo politely ignored the controversy and replied, “I have won my first World Championships title and I am very happy.” China’s Youjuan Chen looked very disappointed after failing with three of her six lifts and finishing with a total of 261kg, four kilos worse than Ryo and one behind Zhapparkul. Another Kazakh, the Olympic 69kg champion Maiya Maneza, was returning at a new weight after taking time off to get married and start a family. In her first competition as a mother she made a total of 231kg, and will expect to improve next year. Those home fans did have gold medals to cheer in the men’s 94kg. Kydyrbayev and Sedov provided the first 1-2 finish at these championships for any nation. Both lifters are part of Team Astana, whose star man, Ilya Ilyin, is in action in the 105kg tonight (Saturday). Sedov won the snatch, with Kyrdyrbayev third. In second place was the colourful Aurimas Didzbalis, from Lithuania. The shaven-headed Didzbalis, wearing a lime green uniform, performed a superb backward somersault after his third lift – quite an achievement for somebody who weighs more than 93kg. He led the snatch until Sedov’s last lift and was also in contention overall until Liu and the two Kazakhs took

The triumph of Kianoush Rostami

The men’s 85kg category looks likely to be one of the highlights of next year’s IWF World Championships and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games after a thrilling contest in Almaty, Kazakhstan last night. There was a first title of the 2014 IWF World Championships for Iran and three impressive performances by lifters aged 20 and 21 from China and Russia. The Bulgarian, Ivan Markov, also contributed to the excitement and would have won but for his only failure of the night with his sixth lift. The eventual winner, Kianoush Rostami, made a mess of his first lift in the clean-and-jerk. As the clock ticked down below 10 seconds he was still tightening his belt, and when he got the bar above his head he could not control it. Rostami ended up with his back to the judges and still got the verdict from one of them but two red lights signified a no-lift. Rostami failed with his second attempt too and had to make his third to go into the lead. He looked as if he had lost control of the 213kg above his head, but steadied himself and cheekily asked the judges if it was a good lift before dropping the bar. Even then Rostami, who had finished second behind Markov in the snatch, had to wait. Markov failed at 214kg, then the 20-year-old Russian Artem Okulov went for 218kg, which would have equaled the oldest senior world record in the book, set in 1998 by Yong Zhang of China. Okulov failed and so, too, did the Chinese, Tao Tian, who tried to beat Zhang’s world record when he went from 205kg up to 219kg in an attempt to win a medal. He cleaned it and looked for a split-second as though he might make the lift, but just failed. Okulov took bronze in the clean-and-jerk and overall. His total of 385kg was six short of Rostami and five behind Markov, but he looks sure to improve. So, too, does his 21-year-old fellow Russian Apti Aukhadov, who would have been on the podium had he succeeded with either of his last two attempts at 213kg. “I really enjoyed the competition, and it will make me train even harder,” Okulov said. “I really appreciate the rivalry, and I’ll see you all in Rio.” Markov, too, was keen to renew rivalry, especially with Rostami. After celebrating his victory Rostami confessed he had nearly quit weightlifting two years ago because of internal conflicts. “I nearly gave up weightlifting,” he said. Rostami’s enthusiasm returned, he said, when there was a change of coaches. He said he regained his form and confidence. Rostami travelled to Kazakhstan expecting not just to win, but to break that 1998 world record. “I’m angry I didn’t get it,” he said. “But I will do it.” The snatch bronze went to Andrei Rybakou of Belarus – the first time he won anything other gold, having won nine gold medals in previous IWF World Championships. Ulugbek Alimov of Uzbekistan took the clean-and-jerk