News

Former world champions were left behind as China won all three medal events on the opening day of the IWF World Junior Championships in Ismailia, Egypt. Seven of the nine medals on total went to Asian athletes.

K Duong from Vietnam and Angeline Colonia from the Philippines have collectively competed 18 times in IWF competitions, have both won junior world titles and have had 10 major victories between them.

But in the first two A sessions – women’s 48kg and men’s 60kg – their experience was not enough to help them overcome China’s juniors. When China made it three from in the women’s 53kg, two former youth world champions were among those beaten.

Kang Lixin (CHN)

Three of the four Chinese athletes in action today were lifting for the first time internationally. The one with previous experience, Kang Lixin, had competed on an international platform only once before.

That was at the Asian Junior Championships last year in Kazakhstan, where he failed with three attempts and finished 9kg behind the double junior world champion K Duong at 60kg. This time he made five from six and matched K Duong’s clean and jerk junior world record, as well as the world standard on total, on 126-164-290.

K Duong (VIE)

Kang’s 17-year-old team-mate Kuang Chengmin was second on 127-162-289 and K Duong third with only two good lifts on 125-157-282. It was a 17kg swing in Kang’s favour in his second meeting with K Duong – how did he do that?

“My preparation for these Championships was 100 per cent,” said Kang, who took up the sport at school when he was 11. “I’m happy with those numbers, which are a reflection of what I have been doing in training, and very excited about the result.”

He was 20 in February and is the oldest member of China’s 13-strong team. Among China’s juniors not selected for Ismailia is Yuan Hao, who set the snatch world record of 132kg in this age group when he was fifth at the senior World Championships seven months ago.

China’s female champions were Zeng Zailian at 48kg and Peng Tianfeng at 53kg.

Zeng Zailian (CHN)

Zeng made 81-108-189 to finish 12kg clear of Angeline Colonia from the Philippines, a junior world champion in 2024 who made 80-97-177.

Rebeka Groulx from Canada was the day’s only Pan American medallist, making 77-97-174 for third place. Suthasini Kaeosingkhon from Thailand, fourth on 77-96-173, won snatch bronze.

At 53kg two former youth world champions were out of the medals – Colonia’s team-mate Jhodie Peralta and Ogulshat Amanova from Turkmenistan.

Peng made five from six for 90-113-203. Natcha Kaewnoi from Thailand was second on 87-108-195 and Maria Stratoudaki from Greece was Europe’s top performer in third place on 86-102-188, a career best by 5kg.  

Maria Stratoudaki (GRE)

Stratoudaki was presented with her medals, in snatch and total, by Pyrros Dimas. She also finished third at the Youth Worlds in 2023, when she was 14.

The host nation won a medal when Basma Ramadan took bronze in clean and jerk on 106kg.

Two of China’s champions, Kang and Zeng, outperformed the recent winning seniors’ totals at the European and Pan American Championships. Athletes from China could make it five from five on day two, when they have the highest entry totals in the women’s 58kg and men’s 65kg.

By Brian Oliver

Photos by Giorgio Scala/Deepbluemedia