Riyadh, Day 1: Photo Gallery
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Riyadh, Day 1: The numbers look good for Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Madagascar
A Saudi Arabian athlete appropriately made the opening lift when the 2023 IWF World Championships began in Riyadh, where a number of other “firsts” and records will be made over the next two weeks. This is the first time Saudi Arabia has hosted a weightlifting World Championships, at 14 days it is the longest to date, and it the first one at which all athletes hoping to compete at the next Olympic Games must take part, under the Paris 2024 qualifying rules. It features the most athletes and the most International Technical Officials ever at 719 and 65 respectively, and the IWF Congress on September 12 is on course for a record attendance, with 153 nations due to attend. [caption id="attachment_38563" align="alignleft" width="683"] Saudi athletes and the IWF President Mohammed Jalood[/caption] “I hope we see one more record here too – for the most world records at a World Championships,” said IWF president Mohammed Jalood. There was no world record on day one but Jalood was delighted to witness a memorable moment when Rosina Randafiarison gave Madagascar its first World Championships medal not just in weightlifting but in any Olympic sport. Randafiarison screamed and screamed, then leaped into the arms of her coach after making her final snatch attempt at 77kg in the women’s 45kg, the first medal event of the Championships. [caption id="attachment_38564" align="alignleft" width="1024"] Rosina Randafiarison (MAD)[/caption] That secured snatch silver and Randafiarison had more reason to scream when she matched it in the clean and jerk despite failing with her final two attempts. Randafiarison, 23, improved her career best by 14kg on 77-93-170 behind the clear winner Siriwimon Pramangkhol from Thailand, who declined her final lift and finished 78-101-179. “It’s wonderful – we have never won a medal like this before,” said Alex Randriamanarivo, president of the Madagascar Weightlifting Federation and general secretary of its National Olympic Committee. Thailand took the title for a third straight time despite the fact that the reigning champion Thanyathon Sukcharoen failed to make a total. Sukcharoen, a winner at 45kg in 2021 and 2022, was competing in the C Group at the Olympic weight of 49kg and made only a solitary snatch of 70kg. She is joint second in the Olympic rankings alongside Mirabai Chanu from India. Like the Tokyo silver medallist Chanu, who withdrew after weighing in, Sukcharoen may be saving herself for the Asian Games which begin in Hangzhou, China on September 30. [caption id="attachment_38565" align="alignleft" width="1024"] The women's 45kg podium[/caption] Pramongkhol made five from five and bettered her winning total at the Asian Championships by 1kg. Cansu Bektas, the European champion from Turkey, was third on 75-87-162, so three different continents were represented on the podium. Monerah Alrowitea opened the Championships with a good lift in the 49kg D Group. Alrowitea is the first of 10 Saudi females here, a record team size for a nation where there was no women’s weightlifting before 2019. Another team with more World Championship athletes than ever before is Ireland, a sign of impressive growth. Rebecca Copeland had a career-best total of 149kg, and Tham Nguyen was hoping for a career high too after a 79kg snatch bettered her previous top effort by 1kg. [caption id="attachment_38567" align="alignleft" width="683"] Rebecca Copeland (IRL)[/caption] Two failures in clean and jerk left Nguyen on 172kg, just short of her best total in qualifying to date and she remains 20th in the standings. The team of six in Riyadh is the largest Ireland has ever sent to an IWF World Championships, in a year when it also sent its biggest team to date to the European Youth and Under-15 Championships. It had its most successful missions to two other continental events, the seniors in April and the junior and under-23s in July. “It has really taken off – you can feel a buzz around Irish weightlifting now,” said national coach Harry Leech. “Until 2014 we had never even entered a woman in European or World Championships.” Back then, there were no weightlifting-only clubs in Ireland: now there are 29 affiliated clubs. Nguyen won Ireland’s first ever medal at the European Championships in Yerevan, Armenia in April and was later chosen by the IWF as one of 10 athletes to receive $5,000 to help fund their Olympic qualifying effort. Ireland also had its first European under-15 medallist in July, and its first female continental Under-23 medallist in August, Callum Quinn and Keilin Coleman respectively. There is more of everything for Ireland now - medals, money and most important of all, athletes. There are about 600 registered members, and for the first time there is state funding for the Olympic hopefuls, €30,000 specifically to help the four athletes in the Paris 2024 qualifying system – Nguyen, Hannah Crymble, Gillian Barry and Seán Brown. “When I started in weightlifting in 1999 there were 79 athletes on the ranking list in Ireland and only two of them were women,” said Leech. He said Irish weightlifting had benefited from the general trend of “women feeling strong, women training with weights, young women seeing the sport on social media and saying, ‘Oh, I didn’t know weightlifters looked like that.’ “At our competitions the women outnumber the men 60-40.” By Brian Oliver, Inside the Games Photos by Giorgio
Loa Dika Toua (PNG): “I broke a lot of barriers in this sport”
At only 16, after only two previous presences at international events, Loa Dika Toua made history at the 2000 Games in Sydney (AUS). It was the inaugural women’s weightlifting competition ever in the Olympic arena and the young athlete from Papua New Guinea was the first one to lift the bar in Australia. “I was of course very nervous. I was young, and I knew this was a historical moment”. From writing history, she became a legend, in her own tiny nation, but also in the widest world of weightlifting. Today, at 39 – she was born on June 23, 1984 – Toua was again in action on the initial day of the IWF World Championships in Riyadh (KSA). Competing in Group C of the women’s 49kg, Toua made a valid snatch at 69kg, and then a clean and jerk of 92kg, for a total of 161kg. Her goal: to compete at what would be her sixth Olympic Games, next year in Paris – an unprecedented feat both among men and women! Since that glorious start in Sydney, the PNG hero only missed the 2016 Games in Rio. After a 117.5kg total in Australia, Toua has progressed to a best of 184kg at the Beijing 2008 rendezvous – her highest ranking was however a sixth place at the 2004 Athens Olympics. “If I manage to go to Paris next year, I won’t definitively be so nervous… I have now some experience!” she says laughing. Disappointed with her total in Saudi Arabia – “I was aiming at least 170kg” -, she recalls the tiredness of the long travel since Papua New Guinea and some logistical difficulties at her arrival in Riyadh. “I definitively wanted to do better, but I am already happy that I have a total here. I still have opportunities to improve – I intend to compete at the IWF Grand Prix in December and in the IWF World Cup in April 2024. My goal is to qualify through the Olympic ranking, but if this is not possible, I still can hope for a universality place”. Mother of two children, she gave birth for the first time in 2006. One of the athletes competing with Toua in her group was from 2005 and she naturally laughs: “Yes, I could be the mother of some of them… But they are all extremely talented and motivated!” Elected some months ago as the President of the PNG Weightlifting Federation, Toua conciliates the daily two-training sessions with all the “official and administrative duties associated with the Federation”. And there is a lot to do in Papua New Guinea. “We lack many resources, especially financial and equipment ones. I am trying to get more interest from our government in our sport so that more lifters from my country can reach an acceptable level. But, it’s a huge challenge. Sometimes, we still train under the mango trees, so to say”. Aware of her ambassador role in the sport, Toua confesses that she “broke a lot of barriers throughout her long career”. The fundamental one was the perception that weightlifting was not an activity fit for women. “They told me: you won’t grow up, you won’t have children… I had a perfectly normal life, I had two children and I am still here to prove that they were wrong! Also, I am happy to see that many women having kids can return to competition”. After more than 20 years at the highest level – she won several medals at the Commonwealth Games, Pacific Games, and Oceania Championships – Toua’s longevity is also proof that age can be challenged. “It may look like I’m forcing a bit, but I love competing and meeting so many people inside the weightlifting family. And if I can write another page of history, why not?” By Pedro Adrega, IWF Communications Photos by Giorgio
Riyadh, Opening: The Best Photos
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Riyadh, Opening Ceremony: “These Championships set the bar very high!”
The 2023 edition of the IWF World Championships is officially open after a spectacular ceremony tonight at the venue of the competition. Mixing local traditions, acrobatic performances, and an amazing light show, the moment was attended by Prince Fahd Bin Jalawi Bin Abdulaziz Bin Musaed, Vice-President of the Saudi Arabia National Olympic Committee, by the IWF President Mohammed Jalood and by the Chair of the Organising Committee, the President of the Saudi Weightlifting Federation and IWF EB member Mohammed Al-Harbi. With a duration of about one hour, the ceremony highlighted the grandiose nature of these Championships, a mandatory event for all those aiming at getting their place for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris (FRA). “Before the start of the competition, we already achieved some records in the IWF history. Firstly, the number of participating countries, 117; secondly, the number of athletes, 719; thirdly, the number of nations that will attend the IWF Congress, on September 12: 150; also, the number of ITOs, a record number of 65; finally, the duration of the championships, 14 days,” recalled Mr Jalood in his speech. “I am sure that given the level of participation, several World Records will be also established in terms of sports performances. Many Olympic and world champions are present in Riyadh and the competition will certainly be very tough,” the IWF President added. “I sincerely thank all the Saudi authorities for their engagement and their support in staging this big event. This is only the start of a bright new road to success for this nation. The way these Championships are organised sets the bar very high. The future hosts will have a very difficult task…” concluded Mr Jalood. Saudi Weightlifting President Al-Harbi also spoke about a “renaissance for the sport in the country thanks to the hosting of this so prestigious event”. Welcoming all participants in Riyadh, the OC Chair underlined that the city will “be the second home for all lifters for two weeks”. The importance of the Olympic qualification through these World Championships – it is one of the mandatory events on the path to Paris, together with the 2024 IWF World Cup – was also highlighted by Mr Al-Harbi. “This is an essential stop before Paris. I wish all the best to the competitors!” The show then proceeded with a performance by local dancers and singers of Saudi traditional music, as well as an acrobatic show displaying difficult and spectacular lifts and throws. All choreographies and music were accompanied by light effects, giving a very special atmosphere to the entire show. The display of the nations’ participating flags was another highlight of the ceremony. The IWF World Championships are held for the first time in Saudi Arabia, from September 4-17. By IWF Communications All photos by Giorgio
Approval of IWF Strategic Plan and further improvement of governance reform among key decisions expected in Riyadh
The IWF is set to take a number of key decisions during the upcoming Congress and Executive Board meeting in Riyadh as it pushes ahead with reforming the organisation and establishing a clear plan for a stronger future. The meetings will take place on the occasion of the IWF World Championships, which will feature around 700 athletes from 120 nations, including all 20 current world champions, as athletes compete for Paris 2024 Olympic qualification. During the IWF Congress on September 12, National Federations will vote to approve the IWF Strategic Plan 2024-2032 which was developed following the broadest-ever consultation in the sport’s history. The plan provides a roadmap for weightlifting’s global development as the IWF looks to shape a new future as a clean, athlete-centred, and well-governed modern sport. The Congress will also vote on proposed amendments to the IWF Constitution to provide better understanding and clarity, ensuring the document serves its purpose as an effective tool of governance. Ahead of the Congress, the IWF Executive Board will approve the implementation process of the Athlete Gender Identity Policy which has been in force since August 1 and aims to promote inclusion while also respecting the integrity of competitions. The EB will also approve the Terms of Reference for the IWF Safety and Integrity Officer which was recently created by the IWF to enhance athlete safeguarding. Speaking ahead of the key meetings, IWF President Mohammed Jalood said: “Riyadh will be a momentous occasion for the IWF both on and off the field of play. Over 14 days of elite competition we will celebrate the world’s very best athletes as they compete for world titles and all-important Paris 2024 qualification. And away from the competition our Congress and Executive Board will take important decisions to safeguard our athletes and deliver the strongest possible future for our sport. “The collaborative Strategic Plan 2024-2032 is critical in providing a clear framework for weightlifting and ensuring clean athletes and good governance are at the heart of our work. The implementation plan of the Athlete Gender Identity Policy and terms of IWF Safety and Integrity Officer also demonstrates our commitment to our athletes and ensuring they have an inclusive, safe, and fair environment to compete in.”
