Asian YG and European Juniors: Champions excel for Kazakhstan, China, PRK and Armenia – and gold for hosts Bahrain and Albania
Nine teenagers from eight nations made youth world records at the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain and the European Junior Championships in Durres, Albania in the past ten days.
Because the competition was of such high quality in Bahrain – 57 world and Asian youth records – four of the nine had to settle for silver medals and will not see their names in the record books. Only those whose records stand at the end of a session are recognised as world record holders.
The Youth Games featured outstanding performances by athletes representing Kazakhstan, China, PRK, Bahrain and Uzbekistan. China won nine gold medals, Uzbekistan seven, PRK six, Kazakhstan three and Bahrain two. Medals were awarded in snatch and clean and jerk, but not on total.
Hu Wenxun (CHN)
Two of the youngest stars, Hu Wenxun in the women’s super-heavyweights and Nurzhan Zhumabay in the men’s 79kg, had their 15th birthdays only a few weeks ago. Zhumabay was awarded his clean and jerk silver medal by the world and Olympic champion Karlos Nasar, who was a special guest at the event.
“He came to present medals and encourage the young athletes, and they were very excited to see him,” said Eshaq Ebrahim Eshaq, president of the Bahrain Weightlifting Federation.
“We saw unbelievable quality on every day, great entertainment. The entire Asian Youth Games were a great success – 26 sports all organised within eight months.” Uzbekistan had withdrawn after originally being awarded the hosting rights.
Arguably the unluckiest athlete was Kim Cheryang from Korea, who arrived in Bahrain as Asian youth champion and a double world record holder in the +77kg category. Kim bettered both of her own records, in clean and jerk and total, by several kilos but ended with two silver medals and no world records.
The reason was a remarkable performance by Hu, the latest outstanding women’s super-heavyweight from China. Lifting seven days after her 15th birthday, Hu made 115-152-267 for a sweep of world records. That total would have earned fifth place in the recent senior World Championships in Norway.
Alikhan Askerbay (KAZ)
Something similar happened in the men’s 71kg, in which Chen Xingxing from China clean and jerked 171kg, good enough for a youth world record in that discipline and on total. But a minute later Alikhan Askerbay from Kazakhstan outdid Chen to finish with all three world records on 144-172-316. His younger team-mate Zhumabay was arguably at least as impressive in making 146-176-322 at 79kg, winning gold and silver medals.
Kazakhstan’s young lifters have piled up the medals in the past two years. Their two 2025 youth world champions, Yerseit Berbarys and Xeniya Prozorova, won medals in Bahrain when they finished second in the men’s 65kg and women’s 63kg respectively.
Pak Hae Yon (PRK)
Three athletes in the women’s 53kg made world records but only one of them, Pak Hae Yon from PRK, still held them at the finish.
Hae, 16, would have bombed out in clean and jerk if she failed with her final attempt, but she made it for 88-107-195 and a sweep of world records. She was 7kg ahead of Y Lien from Vietnam and 8kg clear of Jhodie Peralta from the Philippines, who had briefly set records in clean and jerk and snatch, respectively.
Ri Sae Byol, Hae’s team-mate, had a clean and jerk world record at 69kg on 98-127-225. The 2024 youth world champion Priteesmita Bhoi from India – 17 this week – had a clean and jerk world record at 44kg on 66-92-178.
Jhon Lopez (BRN)
There were two golds and one silver for the host nation. Adrian Granja won a snatch silver at 79kg and Jhon Lopez was clear in both disciplines at 94kg. Lopez, 17, was fifth at last year’s Youth World Championships when lifting for Colombia. He has since improved his best total by 50kg, winning the Asian youth title in July and finishing 160-186-346 at the Youth Games.
The host nation had the only world record breaker at the European Junior and Under-23 Championships in Durres. Enkileda Carja, already Albania’s most successful female lifter ever at the age of 17, set two world records in winning at 63kg on 98-118-216. Alina Daderko from Ukraine put 18kg on her best international total for second place on 212kg.
Enkileda Carja (ALB)
Another kilo in clean and jerk would have given Carja all three world records. This year she has won world and European youth titles as well as this first continental junior title.
Aleksandra Grigoryan from Armenia topped the individual points rankings. Weighing in more than a kilo light, she made all six lifts for a career-best 91-123-214 at 58kg.
Janette Ylisoini from Finland, 19, followed up her sixth-place finish at the senior World Championships with a five-from-six 109-135-244 to add the junior title to her two European youth victories.
Tiberiu Donose (ROU)
The top male points scorer was 20-year-old Tigran Karapetyan from Armenia with 145-176-321 at 71kg. The top two finishers at 79kg were ranked second and third, Ravin Almammadov from Azerbaijan on 151-189-340 and Narek Mkrtchyan from Armenia on 150-188-338.
While there were dozens of age-group continental records, Tiberiu Donose from Romania, who was third in that 79kg contest, was the only athlete to set a continental senior record when he snatched 155kg.
By Brian Oliver
