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Day 4 of the IWF Youth World Championships in Jeddah

The fourth day in Jeddah hosted the M73 kg, the W59 kg and M81 kg categories. The Weightlifting Platform bore the weight of the promising youth lifters who arrived at the Ritz Carlton in Jeddah in the morning to start with the first B groups at 10.00 AM local time. The Group As were left for the afternoon and the evening where we all could enjoy 3 very exciting competitions with close numbers in between participants, smart movements and even a royal visit. Men 73 kg Category In Snatch the competition was fiercely contested between the Uzbek Diyorbek Ermatov, the Russian Nikita Vagin and the Georgian Nikoloz Esartia. The three of them started with the same starting weight, 124 kg, and it was a surprise when the Uzbek ended up getting the Gold with a lift of 132 kg, as his second lift was 1 kg lower than the two other close competitors. The Silver in Snatch went to Nikita Vagin from Russia with a Snatch of 130 kg and finally, the Bronze medal went to Nikoloz Esartia from Georgia, who failed his third attempt of 131 kg, but still won the medal with his second one (128 kg). In C&J there was again a big competition as the numbers were close again. The Russian secured the Gold with his third lift of 161 kg after failing the second one of 160 kg. Silver went to Georgia’s Nikoloz Esartia with a second successful lift of 159 kg and Bronze went to Mark Lievanzov of Ukraine with a second Clean & Jerk of 158 kg after failing his third attempt of 164 kg. In Totals: Nikita Vagin (RUS) dominated with a total of 291 kg and took Gold, Nikoloz Esartia (GEO) won Silver with 287 kg and the Bronze went to Kilian Gallart Lechon (ESP) with a Total of 284 kg. Women 59 kg Category In Snatch the Colombian weightlifter Dubaney Sinisterra Angulo excelled in the category. She knew how to move around the three attempts smartly. Her attempts were as follows: 76-79-81 and finally she won the Gold. The other two medals went to the Thai girls in this group: the Silver medal to Parichat Kunnara with a Snatch of 80 kg and the Bronze for her teammate Arissara Raidee with a Snatch of 78 kg.  The Clean & Jerk session in 59 kg was the next and the Thai Parichat lifted 100 kg on her third attempt, which gave her the Gold medal after failing a second one of 98 kg. The Silver went to the Colombian Sinisterra Angulo who had the last lift of the session however decided to lift exactly the same number as the Thai, 100 kg. She preferred to ensure a good lift and a Gold in Total than a Gold medal in Clean&Jerk. The Bronze medal went to Seyedehghazaleh Hosseini from Iran who won the medal after Raidee from Thailand failed on her two last attempts. In Total, two medals went to two Thai weightlifters: the Silver to Parichat Kunnara with a 180 kg Total and the Bronze to Arissara Raidee with a 170 kg Total. However, the Gold medal was reserved for the Colombian Dubaney Sinisterra Angulo from Colombia with a 181 kg Total. Men 81 kg Category The day concluded with the Men 81 kg Group A. The Gold in Snatch went to the Alireza Abbaspoor from Iran, who had the best first attempt of 140 kg, felt confident with the second one with 143 kg, and finished off the Snatch with a 147 kg lift that easily won him the Gold. The Silver medal went to Dimitrii Shmarin (RUS) who tried twice for 142 kg and was successful on his last attempt. The Bronze went to Mukhammad Romanov from Russia with 141 kg. The session followed on with the Clean&Jerk and the same order was followed on the podium. Alireza Abbaspoor from Iran got the Gold with a third lift of 181 kg, Dimitrii Shmarin from Russia won the Silver achieving 168 kg on his third C&J attempt and finally, his teammate Mukhammad Romanov also from Russia won the Bronze with a lift of 164 kg. In Total, of course, the same order followed: Alireza Abbaspoor (IRI) won the Gold with 328 kg, Dimitrii Shmarin (RUS) the Silver with 310 kg, and Mukhammad Romanov (RUS) completed the podium and won a Bronze medal with a 305 kg in Total. During this session, we had a visit of His Highness Prince Fahad Bin Jalawi Alsaud, who was also a medal presenter in this

Day 3 – 2021 IWF Youth World Championships in Jeddah

The day started with the M67 kg Group B at 10AM local time, which was followed by the W49 kg, the M67 kg Group A and concluded with the W55 kg category where two more Youth World Records were added to the list! Women 49 kg Category In the opening of the Group, the Gold medal went to Karoll Dahyanne Lopez Alvarez (COL) with a lift of 73 kg. The initial strategy of the Colombian was the key to take advantage at the end of the first round. She started with 70 kg in the first attempt and then moved up to 73 KG in the second. Then she missed the third attempt of 74 but had the peace of mind of winning the Gold medal anyhow. Milana Kutiakina (RUS) progressively (68 - 71 - 73) reached the 73 kg lift just like the Colombian, but she got the Silver medal as she lifted it after the South American. Viktoria Barabanova (RUS) reached 72 kg to win the Bronze medal with her second attempt. In the third attempt she tried 74 kg but it was a no lift. (69 - 72- 74X). In the Clean & Jerk, Medine Bilicier (TUR) started with 89 kg, which was the same weight that Russian Milana Kutiakina choose as the starting weight. And not only that, because both women’s three lifts were the same (89 - 91- 93). The Turkish was the one who lifted them first therefore she got the Gold medal whereas Milana Kutiakina (RUS) got the Silver. Karoll Dahyanne Lopez Alvarez (COL) started with 85 kg in the first attempt and then increased to 88 kg winning the Bronze medal. In her third attempt she tried to reach 90 kg but could not make it. Her numbers were (85 - 88- 90X). In the Totals, Milana Kutiakina (RUS) finished with 166 kg, Medine Bilicier (TUR) with 165 kg and Karoll Dahyanne Lopez Alvarez (COL) with 161 kg. Men 67 kg Category In Snatch, Thailand's Weeraphon Wichuma decided to start with an initial weight of 121 kg. With his third attempt he reached the final 128 kg that allowed him to confirm the Gold medal. Venezuelan Reinner Josue Arango Mendez lifted 125 kg, good enough for him to take home the Silver medal after trying and failing to reach 127 kg in his last attempt. (120 - 125 - 127X). The podium was completed by Kolesnyk Serhii (UKR) with the lift of 121 kg in his only good lift of the three attempts. (120X - 121 - 126X). In C&J, 2 of the 3 great Snatch performances were repeated. Weeraphon Wichuma (THA) and Reinner Josue Arango Mendez (VEN) got Gold and Silver respectively in C&J. Wichuma started with 153 kg, 8 kg more than the Venezuelan. After making his first successful attempt, he increased to 160 kg in the second attempt but missed the 167 kg in the third one (153 - 160 - 167X). Arango Mendez had three good lifts with progressive marks that allowed him to reach 152 kg in his third attempt and therefore won the Silver medal in C&J as well (145 - 150 - 152). Thailand's Worrapot Nasuriwong joined his teammate on the podium after reaching 151 kg with his last attempt and beat Ukraine's Kolesnyk Serhii who missed the podium in C&J. In Total, the podium was completed with Weeraphon Wichuma from Thailand with 288 kg (GOLD) Reinner Josue Arango Mendez from Venezuela with 277 kg (SILVER) and Kolesnyk Serhii from Ukraine with 271 kg (BRONZE). Women 55 kg Category Finishing the evening, it was time for the last category of the day. A second day straight with Youth World Records. One of the Americans, Katharine Emily Estep, obtained not only the Snatch Youth World Record, but also the Total when she reached 198 kg after her last C&J attempt. Katharine Emily Estep (USA) won the Gold and the Youth World Record with lifts far superior to the other competitors. In the first attempt she lifted 80 kg, 5 kg more than her immediate pursuers first lift and then increased to 83 kg until she reached the 89 kg lift which won her the new Youth World Record in her category in Snatch (80 - 83 - 89). The Silver medal went to Ximena Fernanda Perez Leon (MEX) who snatched the medal from the other USA girl, Miranda Eleanor Ulrey. The Mexican’s third successful attempt of 78 kg won her the Silver medal which was just 1 kg higher than Ulrey’s. Her attempts were (75X - 75 - 78). The Bronze medal also went to the US, which team was very well represented in this category: Miranda Eleanor Ulrey (USA) was the first to manage 77 kg on her second attempt and that way she got to be on the podium. She tried to reach 79 kg in the last attempt but it was unsuccessful at the end (74 - 77 - 79X). As in the Snatch, Katharine Emily Estep (USA) took home the Gold medal and the second Youth World Record in the Total. In the first attempt of C&J, she started with 100 kg, increased to 105 kg in the second and crowned the category with the 109 kg that made the Total YWR happen. The audience, formed by technical officials, teams and judges were amazed by as she only began to lift when everyone else had finished their Clean and Jerks. The Silver medal this time went to Brazil's Julia Vieira Rodrigues who in the third lift reached 97 kg. Finally, the Bronze medal went to Ozoda Hojieva (UZB), who completed the podium after obtaining a lift of 95 kg in her second attempt. She went for the 98 kg on the third attempt but it was unsuccessful (92 - 95 – 98X). In Total Katharine Emily Estep (USA) won with 198 kg, Ozoda Hojieva (UZB) got the Silver with 172 kg and Ximena Fernanda Perez Leon (MEX) the Bronze with 171

Day 2 of the 2021 IWF Youth World Championships in Jeddah

Jeddah had a lot to offer on the second day of the 2021 IWF Youth World Championships. It was the second day of competition but the first day of records…And we saw not one but four of them! The second day was the day for the Men 61 kg Groups (A and B), the Men 55 kg and the Women 45 kg categories. The day concluded with the M61 KG, which category brought three new Youth World Records. Men 55 kg Category At 13:00, Jeddah time, the A sessions began. In Snatch, in case of the Gold there was no question: Satrio Adi Nugroho from Indonesia lifted 11 kg more than the Silver medallist. We also saw the first Youth World Record in Snatch with Satrio Adi Nugroho's amazing lift. The Silver medal went to the local Majed M. Kalitit Ali with a successful 100 kg third attempt after failing the second one. Patsaphong Thongsuk from Thailand won the Bronze medal with a 99 kg lift. In the C&J the Indonesian Nugroho surprised everyone when he was not able to lift a single successful lift. Adolfo Angel Tun Dzib from Mexico, who had not won a medal in Snatch won the Gold medal in C&J with a 125kg lift. Thailand's Thongsuk won the C&J’s Silver medal with a 124kg lift and the Bronze went to the Turkish lifter Ertugrul Secgin with a 123 kg Clean&Jerk. In Total, Patsaphong Thongsuk (THA) won the Gold medal with 223 kg, the Turkish Ertugrul Secgin won the Silver with a 221 kg Total and Majed M. Kalitit Ali (KSA) won the Bronze with 215 kg. Women 45 kg Category The day continued with the Women 45 kg category. In Snatch, Rose Jean Ramos (PHI) managed a lift 4 kg higher than her immediate rival, Spain's Ruth Sanchez Fuentefria. This allowed the Philipina to win the Gold medal in the discipline with three successful lifts (63 - 65 - 67). Ruth Sanchez Fuentefria (ESP) decided to start with an attempt  of 58 kg and progressively reach 63 kg in her third attempt which also gave her the possibility to get the Silver medal. (58 - 61 - 63).  Najla Khoirunnisa (INA) joined the podium with 62 kg as her best and only successful lift (62 - 65X - 66X). In Clean & Jerk, Poland's Weronika Oliwia Drzazga who was 6th in Snatch, won the Gold medal. Not only did she lift 5 kg more than her competitor Rose Jean Ramos (PHI) but even with her second valid attempt (81 kg) she could have taken the first place. After 3 successful lifts she secured the Gold on her third lift with the mark of 85 kg. (78-81-85). The Philipina took second place with her attempts being (78 - 80- 82X). The Bronze medal went to Najla Khoirunnisa (INA) with a lift of 80 kg as she lifted the 80kg later than Ramos. In C&J she could only make one valid lift out of three (80X - 80 - 83X). In the Total table the podium was as follows: Rose Jean Ramos (PHI) 147 kg, Weronika Oliwia Drzazga (POL) 143 kg and Najla Khoirunnisa (INA) 142 kg. Men 61 kg Category After the Women 45 kg Group A, it was the turn for the Men. This session brought excitement to the audience (teams and officials) and we could enjoy three Youth World Records in around an hour, one in each discipline. In Snatch, the Gold medal went to Kaan Kahriman from Turkey after accomplishing a 123 kg lift that not only got him the medal, but also the Snatch Youth World Record in his category. Silver went to Hampton Miller Morris of USA, who managed to lift 3 kg less, 120 kg. Finally, the Bronze went to Uzbekistan’s Khusinboy Matrasulov with a Snatch of 119 kg. In the Clean&Jerk, we could also enjoy a Youth World Record: Hampton Miller Morris (USA) lifted on his third attempt 156 kg going beyond his previous C&J YWR of 153 kg and with this he also achieved a Youth World Record in the Total and getting of course both Gold medals. The Silver in C&J went to the Mexican Herseleid Antonio Carrazco Cetz with a successful lift of 145 kg, and the Bronze medal went to Rafik Minasyan (ARM) with the third attempt of 144 kg. In Total, the Gold went to Hampton Miller Morris (USA) with the Total Youth World Record of 276 kg, the Silver to Kaan Kahriman (TUR) with a Total of 264 kg, and finally the Bronze to Herseleid Antonio Carrazco Cetz (MEX) who achieved a Total of 263

Day 1 – 2021 IWF Youth World Championships

Jeddah has welcomed the first categories of the 2021 IWF Youth World Championships with great results. The first day in Jeddah started with the competition in the Men 49 kg and Women 40 kg categories. This Championships is not only special because of its location, the Ritz-Carlton, a hotel that used to be a palace, but because it is the first ever world event for most of the athletes. Men 49 kg Group A             In the opening of the group, in Snatch, the Gold medal went to Oleg Prokopev (RUS) with a lift of 83 kg. The Russian's initial lift was too much for the rest (79 - 81 - 83). No one managed to lift more than his starting weight, and so, by clinching the first lift, he also secured the Gold. Alexandr Dzobak (CZE) progressively (73 - 77 - 79) reached 79 kg as did the Colombian Yepez Penate, but the Czech got the Silver medal for lifting the 79kg first before the South American. Kevin David Yepez Penate (COL) reached 79 kg to take the Bronze medal in the 3rd attempt. He increased 4kg from the first to the third attempt after failing the second attempt of 78 kg. (75 - 78X - 79). In Clean&Jerk, Dzobak started with 97 kg, 1 kg less than his competitors (98 kg). However, the 3rd lift of 106 kg ensured that the young athlete won the Gold medal. The three lifts were (97 - 103 - 106). The Russian Prokopev lifted 105 kg on his third attempt and thus won the Silver medal after progressively increasing his initial weight (98 - 102 - 105). Yepez Penate (COL) tried to snatch the first place from the Czech after going for 107 kg in his last attempt but did not achieve the good lift.  The 104 kg on his second lift ensured that he won the Bronze in C&J. His numbers were (98 - 104 - 107X). In the Total of Group A Oleg Prokopev (RUS) finished with 188 kg, Alexandr Dzobak (CZE) with 185 kg and Kevin David Yepez Penate (COL) with 183 kg. Women 40 kg Group A   Finishing the evening in Jeddah, it was the turn of the women. Ezgi Kilic (TUR) started with a lift of 52 kg.  She made a clear difference from the rest as from the start she was 2 kg above her competitors. 55 kg on her 3rd attempt (52 - 54 - 55) gave her the Gold. The second place went to Lawren Sofia Estrada Velez (COL). She took the Silver with the 53 kg reached on her the second attempt. In the third lift she could not manage the 55 kg (50 - 53 - 55X).  Jeaneth Hipolito (PHI) joined the podium with the lift of 52 kg. (48 - 51X - 52). In Clean&Jerk, the dominance of Ezgi Kilic (TUR) continued. She won the Gold medal with 70 kg, after 3 successful lifts (65-67-70). She lifted 3 kg more than Darly Marely Canto Colli (MEX) who won the Silver medal in C&J with 67 kg. Her three lifts were (62 - 66X - 67). The Bronze medal went to the other Mexican in the competition, to Alexandra Yamileth Lopez Ledesma with a lift of 66 kg. She could have won the Silver but failed to make the last lift of 68 kg. (63 - 66 - 68X) In the Total the podium was as follows: Gold - Ezgi Kilic (TUR) 125 kg, Silver - Lawren Sofia Estrada Velez (COL) 118 kg and Bronze - Darly Marely Canto Colli (MEX) 118 kg. Tomorrow the competition will continue with Men 55kg, Women 45kg and the day will conclude with the Men 61kg

European Junior And U23 Championships Concluded Yesterday

The European Junior and U23 Championships which was held between 24th September and 3rd October concluded yesterday in Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, Finland. This competition was planned for 2020 but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The event was organized following the European Covid Protocols to ensure a safe competition for all. Finland has showed that there are great opportunities in sports, especially in these difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Milan Mihajlovic, General Secretary of European Weightlifting Federation, said "The pandemic has influenced everyone, including our sport. Not only were all major events planned for 2020 postponed, but we also had to adapt to the given situation". Some of the highlights of this event were the fact that the competition was opened by Santa Claus himself. Rovaniemi is the capital of Lapland, but it is also the hometown of Santa Claus, so the athletes and Technical Officials had the chance to meet him. Apart from this event was also honoured by a visit from representatives of the local municipality and government, as well as the two-time Olympic Champion Lasha Talakhadze. "High profile visitors such as these are important for the promotion of our sport, as well as the morale of the young athletes who are the future of our sport. Praise and support from the community is crucial when we talk about motivating athletes" stated Mr. Mihajlovic. This year has seen the comeback of European Championships in all age groups after a years’ break due to the pandemic, so there are many things to look forward to. Next year, the Senior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria and the Junior Championships in Tirana, Albania will also be organized by the European Weightlifting Federation, while the Under 15 and Under 17 Championships venue is yet to be confirmed and bigger plans are expected from this brand new EWF Executive

The Deputy Minister Of Sports Inaugurates The IWF Youth World Championships Tomorrow, Monday

The opening ceremony will be under the patronage of HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, seeing the participation of 54 different countries. Under the patronage of the Minister of Sports and President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee, His Royal Highness Prince Aldulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, His Excellency the Deputy Minister of Sports, Mr. Badr Al-Qadi, in the presence of the President of the International Weightlifting Federation, Mr. Michael Irani, will inaugurate the IWF Youth World Championships, at eight in the evening Tomorrow, Monday at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Jeddah, with the participation of more than 300 male and female athletes representing 54 countries from around the world. His Royal Highness Prince Adbulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal said: "Hosting this tournament for the first time in the history of the Kingdom, despite the circumstances the world is going through as a result of the Corona virus pandemic, embodies the unlimited support that the sport sector enjoys by our wise leadership, towards achieving the goals of our vision. Kingdom 2030, developing sports of all kinds and names, and contributing to the growth of the Kingdom's domestic product." His Royal Highness the Minister of Sports welcomed all participating athletes from different countries of the world in their second country, wishing them a pleasant stay, success in this tournament, and to deliver the best performance possible. During this championships, Saudi Arabia is represented by 13 male and female weightlifters, namely Muhammad Al-Marzouq, Hassan Al-Marzouq, Ali Majid, Hussein Al-Duhailib, Amjad Al-Ghanim, Jawad Al-Shakhouri, Abdullah Al-Ahmad, Laith Al-Baqer, Youssef Al-Madrahem, Jassim Al-Zouri, Rafif Mutlaq, Zikra Khurmi and Lian Al-Qurashi. It is noteworthy that the officials of IWF, and members of the participating missions, began to arrive in Jeddah since yesterday, where they settled upon their arrival, in a number of hotels designated for the tournament after conducting the necessary medical examinations amid the precautionary measures followed. Source: Saudi Arabian Olympic