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Colombians celebrate as Alvarez beats two Olympic champions

By Brian Oliver Yenny ALVAREZ (COL) defeated two Olympic champions and sent a crowd of 1,800 noisy spectators into wild celebrations when she became the host nation’s first champion of the week at the IWF World Championships in Bogotá. Alvarez made her final lift of 133kg to claim the biggest win of her career, the 59kg world title. It brought the crowd to their feet and Alvarez said, “It was so good to win for these people in my home country. I am so passionate about this sport.” The 59kg Olympic champion Kuo was second and the 64kg winner in Tokyo last year, Maude CHARRON (CAN), was third in a very entertaining session that, unlike others before it, had far more good lifts than no-lifts. In the week before the World Championships, hosted by Colombia for the first time, Alvarez  had said, “I want to be a world and Olympic champion and to be an example for future generations.” She has lived up to the first part. At last year’s IWF World Championships in Uzbekistan, Alvarez finished second to Kuo and made career-best numbers in snatch, clean and jerk and total. Last night she beat all of them to make 101-133-234. That final lift improved her best clean and jerk by 6kg. Kuo, whose only other defeat in the past six years came when she went up to 64kg and found DENG Wei (CHN) in world-record form, was a more than gracious loser. She waited in the warm-up room for Alvarez to return from the platform after that winning lift and applauded her. “I am happy with my performance because I have had injuries, I had a lot of home time during Covid and I will do better in my next competition,” said Kuo. She said she had expected a very strong challenge “from Colombia and from Luo Shifang from China – she’s very young for me!” There was only 5kg between the top five lifters and China’s two strong contenders did not make the podium on total because Alvarez, Kuo and Charron all had a good night. LUO Xiaomin (CHN) won the snatch and made 103-126-229 for fifth place and 21-year-old LUO Shifang (CHN), making her first appearance in senior competition, failed with her final attempt that might have won the title, at 133kg, and finished fourth on 101-129-230. Luo Shifang was second in the clean and jerk behind Alvarez and Kuo, who made 102-130-232. There was only 2kg between the top six in the snatch, where the medallists were Luo Xiaomin on 103kg, Charron on the same number and Kamila KONOTOP (UKR) on 102kg. Charron, who won at 64kg in Tokyo, was understandably happy with her performance, as she showed with a jaunty dance off the platform after her first clean and jerk. She had never competed at less than 63kg before, and had been suffering a knee injury. There was a notable performance in 43rd place of the 52 entries, the most of any weight category. Alanoud ALSHEHRI (KSA), who made 70-77-147, was the first female from Saudi Arabia ever to lift at the IWF World

A world title at last for Olympic champion Hidilyn Diaz – and world record for Li Fabin

By Brian Oliver Hidilyn Diaz (PHI) - Women 55kg category @IWF Hidilyn DIAZ (PHI) had won gold and silver medals at the Olympic Games but in her 15-year weightlifting career she had never won at the IWF World Championships until her victory last night in Bogotá, Colombia. “Finally I win at the World Championships - I’m so happy with that,” said Diaz, who became the Philippines’ first Olympic champion in any sport in Tokyo last year. She was a clear winner of the women’s 55kg ahead of Rosalba MORALES (COL) and Ana LOPEZ (MEX) despite failing with her last two attempts. Another Olympic champion, Li FABIN (CHN), won the men’s 61kg, setting a clean and jerk world record and finishing ahead of the Tokyo silver medallist Eko Yuli IRAWAN (INA). Li’s  20-year-old team-mate He YUEJI (CHN) was third. The were more no-lifts than good lifts in both sessions, just the same as on Tuesday, perhaps because athletes are finding it difficult to cope with the altitude. Bogotá is 2,640m above sea level. Diaz, 31, did not suffer because the Philippines team had prepared well, she said, first at a training camp in the United States, then a week of acclimatisation in Colombia. She said, “It was good timing because that is the last time I will compete at 55kg.” She  will have to move to one of the new Olympic weights for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, either down to 49kg or, more likely, up to 59kg. The fact that she is still on the platform, after all the demands on her time since her victory last year, is “absolutely amazing, it shows her incredible commitment” said Monico Puentevella, president of the Philippines Weightlifting Federation. In the build-up to her victory in Tokyo, where she was the only weightlifter to finish ahead of a Chinese rival, Diaz spent months training in a remote village in Malaysia, having been stranded there because of Covid travel restrictions. Her non-stop training there, without distraction, was a big help and there are times when she would like to be back out of the glare of public attention. “It’s really hard when you become so famous,” she said. “I have been able to control it, but it’s very hard with time management. “There are so many opportunities. I do endorsements for a lot of products, I have a lot of events, I’m training hard and on top of that I’m studying.” “Just before we came here I had to defend my thesis,” said Diaz, whose chosen subject was business studies at Saint Benilde, one of the top colleges in the Philippines. “There are times when I wish I was back in Malaysia, in another country with all the time to focus on weightlifting, training all the time. I have had negative thoughts, doubts, and I have had a lot of injuries. “But then I think no, I am so happy to be back in the Philippines, the country I love, and competing in weightlifting, the sport I love. I’m so grateful to the team.” Diaz was a clear winner on 93-114-207. Morales was clearly in pain throughout the clean and jerk but responded to the crowd’s cheers to finish second on 89-110-199, ahead of Lopez on 90-108-198. Lopez was second in the snatch but dropped to fifth in the clean and jerk, in which the bronze went to Shoely MEGO (PER). Women 55kg Podium @IWF In the men’s 61kg Li Fabin claimed a world record with his final lift. For the second time in two days the host nation Colombia won a medal from the B Group, and the three medallists from last year’s IWF World Championships made only five good lifts between them from 18 attempts. Li Fabin (CHN) - Men 61kg category @IWF Li had already won when he came out on his second clean and jerk to try for the world record at 175kg. He failed that time but made it at the last attempt and finished 137-175-312. His young team-mate He broke the junior world record on total, making 136-160-296 for third place overall. Irawan made only two good lifts and lost his clean and jerk world record, but he held on to second place with 135-165-300. Irawan was second in the clean and jerk ahead of two B Group lifters, Jhon Serna of Colombia who took bronze, and Teerapat Chomchuen of Thailand who was sixth on total, a place ahead of

Gold for China’s Jiang – and Chanu earns cheers for great escape

By Brian Oliver China and Thailand won gold on the second day of the 2022 IWF World Championships in Bogotá, Colombia, and Mirabai CHANU (IND) earned huge cheers from the crowd for performing a remarkable recovery to save a lift. JIANG Huihua (CHN) defeated her team-mate HOU Zhihui (CHN), the Tokyo Olympic champion, and Chanu to win the women’s 49kg. Jiang, who was winning her third world title, nearly bettered Chanu’s clean and jerk world record too, but she just failed with her final attempt at 120kg. Chanu earned the biggest cheer of the night from the crowd at the Gran Carpa Américas Corferias when she made a remarkable “save” from a seemingly impossible position on her third snatch attempt. She appeared to have lost her balance and looked sure to hit the platform on her knees, yet somehow she kept her footing and made the lift. Some of the technical officials joined in the applause. Another Olympic gold medallist, the Rio 2016 48kg champion Sanikun (formerly Sopita) TANASAN (THA), was seventh in the snatch on 85kg and failed to make a total after three failures in the clean and jerk. Jiang, a world champion in 2015 and 2019, made 93-113-206, Chanu 87-113-200 and Hou was third on 89-109-198. Hou, whose four-year head-to-head score against Jiang now stands at 3-3, declined to take her final lift. Hayley REICHARDT (USA) was fifth on total and won the clean and jerk bronze medal with 110kg. Nina STERCKX (BEL) would have claimed the European snatch record with her 89kg third attempt, but Mihaela CAMBEI (ROU) came straight out and made 90kg to take that record and the snatch silver medal. Cambei was fourth on total on 90-104-194, and Sterckx, who failed with her last two attempts, was fifth on 89-104-193 - the highest ever IWF World Championships finish by a Belgian female. Sterckx won the junior world title at 55kg in May and, having weighed as much as 58kg earlier in the year, she had to lose 15 per cent of her body weight to compete in this category. “You have to eat hardly anything – you don’t want to know what I ate to get my weight down,” she said. Women 49kg category podium @IWF In the men’s 55kg there were twice as many no-lifts as good lifts. Three of the eight athletes failed to make a total, there were six different medallists including a Colombian from the B Group, and 19-year-old Theerapong SILACHAI (THA) set a junior world record of 148kg in the clean and jerk. The snatch gold medallist, the Asian champion LAI Gia Thanh (VIE), failed with all his clean and jerks. Last year’s world champion Arli CHONTEY (KAZ) was the only man to make two good snatches, which gave him the silver medal, but he dropped to fourth on total with only one successful clean and jerk, finishing 118-141-259. NGO Son Dinh (VIE) was second on total with 117-143-260, ahead of KIM Yongho (KOR) in third place on 115-145-260. Silachai made all three clean and jerks while his rivals had only four between them. Miguel SUAREZ (COL) was a clean and jerk bronze medallist from the B Group and was fifth on total with 105-143-248. Men 55kg category podium

IWF Family reinforces commitment to reform

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) family has reinforced its commitment to further reform by approving a series of key reports at a Special Congress held on the eve of the IWF World Championships in Bogota, Colombia. Delegates from 73 Member Federations (56 in person, 17 online) gathered for the Congress. It was the first such gathering since the new IWF Executive Board was elected in June. Member Federations showed strong support for the IWF’s new direction, voting to approve reports that included proposals to further strengthen provisions across anti-doping, governance and the IWF constitution. The presentations were led by IWF President Mohammed Jalood, General Secretary Antonio Urso and First Vice President Ursula Garza Papandrea. They followed an Executive Board meeting that ratified new mandatory anti-doping testing, intelligence and education measures proposed by the International Testing Agency. The changes build on the IWF’s commitment to clean competition, which underpins the updated Olympic Qualification System (QS) for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. IF Delegate for Paris 2024 Matthew Curtain set out the amendments, which include an extended whereabouts period of three months for every qualifying event. Delegates in Bogota also approved a report from the Chair of the IWF Technical Committee Sam Coffa, who set out plans including the exploration of Beach Weightlifting competition alongside measures to reduce the length of future IWF World Championships. Meanwhile, IWF Vice President Petr Krol outlined a commitment to introduce compulsory coaching licenses for all coaches at World and Continental competitions from 2024. IWF President Mohammed Jalood said: “The past two days have been very important in demonstrating the strength of our commitment to shape a new future for weightlifting. As an Executive Board, we have taken strong decisions. But we know our challenges can only be met with the support of every member of the weightlifting family. Today, all together, we have taken a big step with this collective commitment to turn the page on our past.” The Special Congress was opened by IWF President Mohammed Jalood in the presence of María Isabel Urrutia, Minister of Sport of Colombia, Ciro Solano Hurtado President of the Colombian Olympic Committee and Colombian Weightlifting Federation President William Peña. Ahead of the formal proceedings, presentations were made to distinguished members of the weightlifting family. IWF First Vice President Ursula Papandrea was awarded in recognition of her contribution to weightlifting as an athlete, coach and administrator. Honorary General Secretary Ma Wenguang, Olympic gold medallist and Colombian Minister of Sport María Isabel Urrutia, General Secretary of European Weightlifting Federation Marino Casadei and Australian weightlifting coach and administrator Paul Coffa were also recognised. During the Congress, a vote was held to approve North Macedonia joining the weightlifting Family, and with them the number of IWF members increased to 194. Portugal returned as an active Full Member having its provisional suspension revoked and Jamaica's Full Membership was confirmed, earlier being a Provisional

IWF Coaching Course held in Baku, Azerbaijan

An IWF Coaching Course was held at the Weightlifting Academy in Baku, Azerbaijan, between 5-9 November 2022, in the framework of International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Development Program. A member of the IWF Coaching and Research Committee, IWF Coaching Expert Dr. Kyle Pierce (USA), served as a lecturer. About 50 coaches from all regions of Azerbaijan, including coaches of more than 20 new weightlifting clubs, as well as other specialists, took part in this Course. Theoretical and practical lessons were given on many different topics. Among them were the following units: Safety in weightlifting, Biomechanics and physiology, Teaching and Coaching Principles, Power Clean, Power Snatch, Introducing the Jerk, Training Programs, Anti-Doping, Anatomy and Kinesiology, Technique of the Weightlifting Competition Lifts, etc. The lectures of the IWF expert were held interactively, the audience's questions were answered, and extensive discussions were held on new, modern training and teaching methods. According to the participants, the course was very effective, it was a great opportunity to gain new knowledge and study modern trends in weightlifting. During the 4 days, specialists who participated in two categories of coaching lectures (Level 1 and Level 2) got participation

Thailand’s Sukcharoen takes title again at IWF World Championships

By Brian Oliver Women 45kg Total Podium @IWF Thanyathon SUKCHAROEN (THA) won the opening medal event at the 2022 IWF World Championships in Bogotá, Colombia, the first qualifying competition for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It was her second successive world title at the minimum body weight, 45kg. Sukcharoen, 25, made 82-100-182, her best since 2018 and 10kg more than her winning total last year. After five good lifts she failed with her final attempt at 103kg but had already secured the gold medal on total, 2kg ahead of her team-mate Sirivimon PRAMONGKHOL (THA). Pramongkhol made all six lifts for 78-102-180 and claimed the clean and jerk gold medal as well as silvers in snatch and total. In 13 competitions in international weightlifting since she began as a 15-year-old, Sukcharoen has never once finished off the podium, although she forfeited a gold medal at the 2018 IWF World Championships because of a doping violation. Thailand will have hopes of a third medal on Tuesday when Seerapong SILACHAI competes in the men’s 55kg, in which he has the joint highest entry total. Manuela BERRIO (COL), who finished second behind Sukcharoen at last year’s IWF World Championships, was a popular bronze medallist on snatch, clean and jerk and total as she was cheered on every lift by a noisy audience at the Gran Carpa Américas Corferias. It was a good start for Colombia, which is hosting a World Championships for the first time and is fielding a maximum team of 20. Before the lifting started all of Colombia’s Olympic medallists in weightlifting were honoured at a presentation during the opening ceremony. Among them was Colombia’s sports minister Maria Isabel Urrutia, who gave a welcoming speech. Urrutia became her country’s first Olympic champion in any sport, and its first weightlifting medallist, when she won at 75kg in Sydney 2000. Berrio, who screamed as loud as anybody in the crowd after each successful lift. She made five of them to finish on 77-93-170, the same total she made when she finished second last year. Her mother Leddy Andrea Zuluaga is her coach, and also coaches Lesman Paredes, the 96kg snatch world record holder who now competes for