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Turkiye filled half of the six podium places on total in Cali, Colombia to continue its remarkable run of success on the world stage in youth weightlifting.

Zehranur Aslan, a late starter in the sport, saw months of hard work pay off when she made her final attempt to take the 63kg title as the IWF World Youth Championships reached the halfway point. Aslan finished one kilo ahead of her team-mate Sudenaz Sevim, who had led in snatch.

Zehranur Aslan (TUR)

Toprak Koleoglu also won snatch gold in the men’s 71kg, and might have won on total if he had made either of his first two clean and jerks. He dropped both behind, but Koleoglu recovered impressively to avoid a bombout with his final attempt and finished second behind the Georgian Davit Kiladze.

That took Turkiye’s record on total to one gold and four silvers in the first four days of competition in Cali.

Since the sporting calendar returned to normality in 2021 after the Covid pandemic Turkiye has won eight golds, 13 silvers and nine bronzes on total at the World Youths, and has two more chances to add to that tally before the end of the week.

Women’s 63kg category podium

In World Juniors, Turkiye has won six golds, nine silvers and four bronzes in the same time span. Among their teenage champions in recent years were Muhammad Furkan Ozbek and Yusuf Fehmi Genc, both of whom set senior world records last year.

Aslan will be hoping to add her name to the list of Turkiye’s top performers. She took up weightlifting after a tryout session at her school five years ago.

“It was a great stroke of luck for me, and I would encourage others to do it,” she said before travelling to Cali.

Aslan made 86-112-198 and Sevim 87-110-197. Stefany Higuita from Colombia was third on 85-106-191, and fifth-placed Uladzislava Lavar from Belarus took clean and jerk bronze with 109kg.

Davit Kiladze (GEO)

Kiladze, 15, was an impressive winner for Georgia – and a fourth straight winner from Europe – making five good lifts before declining his final attempt. Like 16-year-old Koleoglu, it was his first appearance at an IWF event. Kiladze made 126-153-279 and Koleoglu 128-150-278.

Colombia was third again. Kevin Segura made 123-150-273, taking advantage of narrow failures with his final two attempts by Panagiotis Spyrou.

Men’s 71kg category podium

Spyrou, who will be 17 next week, was second at halfway and looks like a good prospect for Greece. He completed the lift both times on those final attempts but got red lights for bending and extending, then a pressout. A challenge failed after his final attempt and he finished 127-145-272.

Spyrou’s grandfather Panagiotis and father Christos (his coach) were both elite athletes and national coaches, and he also has an uncle and a cousin in the sport.

By Brian Oliver

Photos by Giorgio Scala/Deepbluemedia