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Angel Rodriguez was an impressive winner for Venezuela and Anna Amroyan from Armenia was in tears after a dramatic victory with the last lift of the day at the IWF World Junior Championships in Ismailia, Egypt. It was the first day without a winner from Asia.

The top three in the women’s 77kg had all won medals at the senior European Championships in Georgia 12 days ago, where Amroyan set a junior continental record in clean and jerk after bombing out in snatch. The leading two in Georgia, Janette Ylisoini from Finland and 17-year-old Varvara Kuzminova from Russia, finished second and third here.

Anna Amroyan (ARM)

This time Amroyan made all six attempts to finish 106-134-240. She won with her final lift, then fell flat on her back in tears. There were more tears on the podium as her anthem was played.

Ylisoini made only one snatch but it was enough for gold. She missed her final clean and jerk and finished 108-131-239. Kuzminova made 107-130-237 and with the Georgian snatch silver medallist Nana Khorava next on 108-126-234, the top four were all European.

Seine Stowers, the Samoan who was within 3kg of the junior world record when she won the Oceania title on 254kg last month, had the highest entry total but did not make it to Egypt.

Anna Ylisoini (FIN)

Ylisoini was competing internationally for the 22nd time in less than five years. She likes to keep busy but said, “I had only five days at home after Georgia before I flew to Egypt. I need a break so I will take some rest now and my next competition will be the World Championships in China (in October and November).”

The Women’s 77kg podium

Rodriguez, narrowly beaten last year, made five good lifts for 168-197-365 at 88kg.

Asian athletes still had cause to celebrate when Kazakhstan’s two men in the session both won medals. One of them, 17-year-old Alikhan Askerbay, increased his body weight by 23.43 per cent in 190 days – and said he will put on more weight yet.

Angel Rodriguez (VEN)

At last year ‘s World Juniors Rodriguez weighed in light in the 89kg category and gave a 4kg body weight advantage to the Georgian winner Goga Jajvani. He was beaten by one kilogram.

Venezuela had high hopes of Rodriguez, who prepared well and weighed in within a few grams of the limit this time. He dominated from the start and led by 7kg at halfway. After missing his final attempt on 200kg he was 9kg clear of Yerasyl Saulebekov, who needed to equal the world record in clean and jerk to overtake him. He could not do it.

“I tried very hard and did what I could but I’m not satisfied with silver,” Saulebekov said. “I was here for gold.”

Yerasyl Saulebekov (KAZ)

Askerbay weighed 70.73kg and lifted in the 71kg category at the Asian Youth Games in  October 2025, his last international competition before today. In Ismailia 190 days later he was 87.3kg, up by 16.57kg.

“I ate a lot of horse meat, I ate a lot of everything,” he said of his remarkable weight gain. “I’m going to get even heavier because the plan is for me to go up and Yerasyl to go down to 85.”

The Men’s 88kg podium

Askerbay, who holds all three youth world records at 71kg, took silver in snatch, bronze in clean and jerk and finished third on total. He made all six lifts for 161-194-355.

Saulebekov, a Youth world champion at 67kg and 73kg, improved his best total by 12kg on 157-199-356. Fourth-placed Moustafa Bakry from Egypt won snatch bronze on 158kg.

By Brian Oliver

Photos by Giorgio Scala/Deepbluemedia