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IWF Refugee Team already training in Sweden

Led by coach Patric Bettembourg, the IWF Refugee Team is having, from June 23 to July 1, its first Training Camp in Halmstad (SWE), in order to prepare the participation in the 2023 IWF World Championships, taking place from September 4-17 in Riyadh (KSA). Of the seven members of the team, only four could make the trip to Sweden – among women, Parisa Jahanfekrian (originally from Iran), Aline de Souza and Monique Araujo (both Brazilian natives), and also male lifter Addriel Garcia (Cuba). The three remaining lifters of the group – Clementine Meukeugni Noumbissi (Cameroon, but living in Great Britain), Fawaz Mohammed Saleh Hussein (Yemen/Saudi Arabia), and Reza Rouhi (Iran/Great Britain) – could not, despite the best IWF efforts on this matter, join the training camp due to the difficulty in leaving their respective host country for the moment.   The four athletes present in Sweden are enjoying superb facilities in Halmstad – the headquarters of barbell company Eleiko – and have the opportunity to train twice a day, in a venue equipped with modern and high-level weightlifting material. On the first days of the training camp, they were also welcomed by Florian Sperl, IWF Executive Board member and responsible for this successful project. “The atmosphere among the athletes and the coach is great. They all know each other by now and they are happy to share their respective stories and the difficult moments they could experience in life,” states Sperl, after his two-day visit to Halmstad. “The hospitality and the optimal conditions here in Sweden are really appreciated by the athletes. They have an ideal environment to train and prepare for the biggest IWF competition of the year. We hope by then that all the seven lifters of the team can travel to Saudi Arabia” concludes the IWF official. The IWF President Mohammed Jalood also offered his comments on this training camp: “I am happy to see the practical implementation of the IWF Refugee Team programme. The training camp currently being held in Sweden is the first step in a pathway that will see this group of athletes competing in our major events. I thank all those involved in the development of the project and I wish the seven lifters the best success – from now on, the IWF is also their home!”

IWF delegation concludes successful visit to Paris

An IWF delegation was recently in Paris to meet with the organisers of the upcoming Olympic Games in 2024 and discuss on the event readiness, with about 13 months to go before the start of the competition. On June 21-22, Matthew Curtain, IWF Executive Board Member and IF Delegate, as well as Moira Lassen, IF Delegate, and Matyas Lencser, IWF Competition Manager, were in the French capital to discuss with the Organising Committee of the Olympic rendezvous about many areas of interest.   Those topics included the transportation plan, the sport presentation of the weightlifting events, the award ceremonies, training venues, and the brand identity and look of the Games. Important updates were also given on the accreditation procedures, the venue and infrastructure, test event, and the ticketing programme. To conclude the two-day visit, the IWF officials also had the opportunity to visit the venue of the weightlifting competition.   “It was a very useful and important meeting, where we could appreciate the efforts and expertise of the Olympic hosts. The Organising Committee of the Games is doing their utmost to ensure the best conditions are met for our athletes, coaches, and officials during the time of the Games,” said Matthew Curtain and Moira Lassen.    The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will take place from July 26 to August 11 and will include the participation of 120 lifters, distributed in 10 bodyweight categories (five for men, five for women). Up to date, six qualification events have already taken place in the pathway for the event – the 2022 IWF World Championships, four 2023 continental showcases, and the recent IWF Grand Prix in Havana (CUB). The next qualifier for the Games will be the 2023 IWF World Championships in Riyadh (KSA), from September 4-17.   

Havana GP verdict: Stars from three continents, and AIN, light up Cuba’s first global event in 50 years

A world record for Angie Palacios of Ecuador, a winning start at a new weight for Solfrid Koanda of Norway and a career-best for the remarkable Indonesian Eko Yuli Irawan were among the individual highlights of the IWF Grand Prix that ended in Havana on Sunday. As for the teams, Indonesia, the United States and Ecuador all excelled, while the one dressed entirely in grey also had a successful championships. The weightlifting team of Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN), including the lifters with Belarussian passport, had four winners. Three AIN lifters moved straight into the top 10 of the Paris rankings, Petr Asayonak and Yauheni Tsikhantsou at 89kg and 102kg respectively, and Siuzanna Valodzka at 71kg, while others have made it into the top 20. This was their first international competition since December 2021. The team of Individual Neutral Athletes “We are back home, back in the family... I can’t describe how good it feels,” said Vitaliy Kreidich, vice-president of the Belarus Weightlifting Federation and part of the team who managed 13 lifters, eight men and five women, in Havana. Mohamed Jalood, the IWF president, said, “We saw here that weightlifting is a sport for all. The team respected the conditions they signed up to, they came as neutrals and everybody respected them on the platform, on the podium, everywhere.” Kreidich said, “It has been very good here in Cuba, good organisation, accommodation, training facilities. “All the teams have been happy to see us, we were welcomed back on to the platform. There were no bad vibes, no pressure, everything seemed ideal. “It is too early to say who did what in terms of Olympic qualifying here, because there are still four competitions to come” said Kreidich. “We trained well, but we can do better.” Yauheni Tsikhantsou (AIN) Belarus will have a chance to repay Cuba for its hospitality, and will not have to compete in grey in August when it hosts the multi-sport CIS Games for former Soviet states and others. Cuba will be there, one of 10 nations in weightlifting and one of 20 across a range of sports, said Kreidich. The Havana Grand Prix – the first global weightlifting competition hosted by Cuba for 50 years – was the last chance for weightlifters from Russia and Belarus to enter Olympic qualifying as neutral individuals. Russia declined because they did not agree with the “unacceptable” conditions imposed by the IWF, which was following recommendations drawn up by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after it suspended both nations because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Our president (Aleksandr Lukashenko) was not happy that there was no flag, no anthem, no national uniform but he agreed to the conditions because he understands how hard it is for athletes when they cannot compete,” said Kreidich. Sourcing a completely new outfit for the team, which had to be grey with no national emblems, was not easy. By the time Kreidich had bought the material everything was a rush. He had to drive to a national clothing factory 500 kilometres from Minsk, the capital, and arrived after midnight. Everything was finally ready at 5pm the day before departure for Cuba. The average age of the five women in Cuba was just under 21, compared with 24.5 for the men. “We have a good mix in our team who are trying for the Olympic Games - young athletes with potential, and older, experienced athletes,” said Kreidich. Angie Palacios (ECU) Palacios, from Ecuador, was the only world record breaker in Cuba, with a snatch of 121kg at 71kg. She is part of the remarkable family that has produced Olympic and continental champions, including her sister Neisi, who won at 81kg in Havana. Koanda overcame cramp to win in her first competition at 81kg, and Irawan is on course for a record fifth Olympic medal. He posted career-high numbers after going up to 67kg, and his team-mates Ricko Saputra and Rahmat Erwin won at 61kg and 81kg. Solfrid Koanda (NOR) The quality of the women’s 81kg session in Havana is evident in the updated ranking lists for Paris 2024. Four of the top 10 at that weight made their best total in Havana. Across all weight categories for men and women, totals made in Havana feature 16 times in the top 10. There were good results for the United States, most notably by Hampton Morris at 61kg, Wes Kitts at 102kg and Taylor Wilkins at 59kg. Arley Calderon moved into the Paris top 10 at 61kg after finishing third, a performance that helped Cuba to finish top of the men’s team classification. By Brian Oliver, Inside the Games Complete coverage: Havana, Final Day: Late starter “Coach Mary” so close to catching her USA Olympic medallist team-mate – International Weightlifting Federation (iwf.sport) Havana, Day 10: Double for Asia and more progress by Chilean mother Valdes – International Weightlifting Federation (iwf.sport) Havana, Day 9: Norway’s Koanda overcomes cramp to win a classic and take third place in Paris rankings – International Weightlifting Federation (iwf.sport) Havana, Day 8: 2012 weightlifting champion Valentin sets out for fifth Olympic Games – aged 38 – International Weightlifting Federation (iwf.sport) Havana, Day 7: World record for Palacios continues stunning success for weightlifting’s special family – International Weightlifting Federation (iwf.sport) Havana, Day 6: Unstoppable Erwin so close to another world record – International Weightlifting Federation (iwf.sport) Havana, Day 5: US weightlifters battle in Paris rankings while former team-mate Sasser shines – International Weightlifting Federation (iwf.sport) Havana, Day 4: Irawan hits career high at 33 and has record-breaking fifth Olympic medal in his sights – International Weightlifting Federation (iwf.sport) Havana, Day 3: Gold for Indonesia, a good day for USA – and another medal for late starter Gallant – International Weightlifting Federation (iwf.sport) Havana, Day 2: Mother-of-three Piron wins B Group gold to boost chances of fourth Olympic Games – International Weightlifting Federation (iwf.sport) Havana, Day 1: British Morrow loses 15% of her body weight to post Paris qualifying total – International Weightlifting Federation (iwf.sport) IWF Grand Prix: “It will be an unforgettable event!” – International Weightlifting Federation Cuba is ready to host its biggest weightlifting event in 50 years! – International Weightlifting Federation

David Liti (NZL): “I want a medal at the 2024 Olympics”

Travelling half the globe to reach Havana, David Liti had no special plans for the IWF Grand Prix but had however one goal in mind: to get a total of 400kg in the men’s +109kg category. In the last final of the competition, the Neo Zealander reached his objective, bettering his previous result in the Olympic Qualification ranking. In Bogota (COL), at the IWF World Championships last December, Liti concluded the competition with a 396kg effort, 15kg below the present cut for the 10th place of the Paris 2024 classification. If not directly qualified in the group of the 10 best in the world, he will for sure earn a place through continental quota, as he is by far the best representative of Oceania in this category. After winning two medals in the Cuban capital – silver in total, behind Ali Davoudi (IRI, 441kg), and also second in the clean and jerk, with a 226kg lift – the 26-year-old was a happy man. “The medals were initially not on the plan. It became a reality a few hours before the final and in the end, everything worked fine. The most important was to improve my total in the ranking – this is also done,” he admits. David Liti (NZL) Paris 2024 will be the second Olympic experience for Liti, who was fifth at the Tokyo 2020ne Games, with a total of 414kg, his personal international best. “At the IWF World Championships in Riyadh, I definitively want to go over the 400kg and approach my best result. I aim at getting the direct qualification, by having a total amongst the best 10 of the world hierarchy. In Paris, I hope to do better than in Japan, so I will fight for a podium. The colour of the medal is not important…” reveals Liti. If he is successful in this ambitious objective, it would represent the first weightlifting podium achievement for the Kiwi nation at the Olympic level. Enjoying a very positive personal reputation in New Zealand, he considers however that the sport is still far from being recognised as it should be. “We are still at a development stage. We only brought two athletes to this competition, and it is very difficult to have our travels funded only through weightlifting. It is the reality we have and we are working hard to improve that. To come here, I had to put money from my pocket…” Liti confesses. Elected to the IWF Athletes Commission in December 2022, the star from New Zealand is optimistic about the global development of the sport. “We are fundamentally athletes. We don’t care so much about politics and decisions at the highest level. However, athletes are well represented and their voice is heard by the IWF top-level management. This is our job – to make sure athletes’ job is easier and done in better conditions. All the effort is of course positive and encouraging”.  Reflecting on the necessary “change of culture”, Liti is happy to note that “important steps were done in the right direction”. Because, as he underlines, “at the end of the day, it’s the athletes coming here and competing – of course with the help of their coaches, their entourage and of course of the IWF”. With an international career that debuted in 2014, the New Zealander had its best result at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, where he won gold in the +105kg category, in 174-229-403. His best IWF World Championships outcome was a ninth place in 2021 (176-231-407). To Cuba, he came accompanied by his teammate Xavier Tiffany, who finished 11th in the men’s 89kg category. By Pedro Adrega, IWF Communications Other stories from this Grand Prix: Cuba and the IWF Grand Prix: Hard work, emotion, and development – International Weightlifting Federation Ecuador: A true story of success! – International Weightlifting Federation (iwf.sport) Brandon Vautard (FRA): “All the eyes will be on the French athletes during the Games!” – International Weightlifting Federation (iwf.sport) Safaa Aljumaili (IRQ): “It’s a very positive return to competition!” – International Weightlifting Federation (iwf.sport) Ine Andersson (NOR): Overcoming adversity with determination – International Weightlifting Federation (iwf.sport) From Mexico with… fair-play! – International Weightlifting Federation (iwf.sport) Arley Calderon (CUB): “The Games were never so close for me…” – International Weightlifting Federation (iwf.sport) Fighting for a position in the Olympic ranking: “I will not surrender!” – International Weightlifting Federation (iwf.sport) From 1973 to 2023: The Professor’s memories – International Weightlifting Federation

Havana, Final Day: Late starter “Coach Mary” so close to catching her USA Olympic medallist team-mate

Mary Theisen Lappen came desperately close to overtaking her United States team-mate Sarah Robles, who has won two Olympic medals, in an exciting women’s super-heavyweight session here in Havana. The US also had a good result in the men’s super-heavyweights, the final session at the IWF Grand Prix, when Aaron Williams made a total of 390kg on his international debut, in only his sixth weightlifting meet. Like Theisen Lappen, Williams is a late starter who moved across from another sport. This is the third of seven possible qualifying opportunities for Paris 2024 and two Americans may go head-to-head in the remaining four before a “winner” emerges. It is close in all the women’s Olympic weight categories, where USA has two contenders and only the one with the bigger total can qualify for Paris. Mary Theisen Lappen (USA) Theisen Lappen, known as “Coach Mary” because of her background as a successful athletics coach before she came to weightlifting, thought she could make her final clean and jerk of 164kg and wanted to do it not just to move 1kg ahead of Robles in the rankings. “It sounds silly but I was thinking ‘This would be a really good thing for Father’s Day’. My dad and mum were watching back home and texting me. “They’ll be happy regardless. This was a personal record for me on total and it would have been a huge PR if I’d made that last lift. “I was thinking ‘I can really make this’ – but then I didn’t make the jerk. I should probably have waited one more second before I jerked it. Maybe next time, it’s OK.” “Coach Mary” completed the lift but it got three red lights and a challenge failed when the jury agreed with the referees that there was movement in both arms. She was very happy with an improved snatch performance. “It was good especially in terms of technique. In the past eight weeks I’ve felt like I’m becoming a good snatcher. I’m feeling now that I can get close-ish to the others in snatch and then lift more in clean and jerk.” This was only the fourth international competition for Theisen Lappen, 33, and the first time she has competed against athletes from beyond the Americas. Because she has Norwegian heritage she was keen to meet Solfrid Koanda, Norway’s 81kg winner here. “We talked for quite a time about the next week. Solfrid is going hiking in the mountains, I’m going home to spend some time with mum and dad. “Everybody will be having a fun week before starting to prepare for the Worlds.” Sarah Robles (USA) Theisen Lappen, who made 119-158-277, finished ahead of Robles but is 5kg behind her in the long list rankings. Robles, who won bronze in Rio and Tokyo, made 126-150-276 in second place and Lisseth Ayovi from Ecuador was third on 116-150-266. In the men’s event the Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Ali Davoudi from Iran won by a wide margin on 203-238-441, and it would have been wider had he not failed with his final two attempts at 251kg and 252kg. Ali Davoudi (IRI) Second-placed David Liti from New Zealand made all three clean and jerks to move up the rankings on 174-226-400, an improvement of 4kg on his best in qualifying. Tamas Kajdoci from Serbia was third on 175-216-391. Williams, 28, went straight into the Paris rankings at 16th with his remarkable performance but will not be able to qualify because he arrived so late on the scene he was not entered for the World Championships, a compulsory event, at the preliminary stage. Before today Williams, who played college football for the University of Central Oklahoma, had competed in three local meets and two at national level. His total exceeded the 389kg needed to get a stipend from USA Weightlifting but there may have to be some negotiating, because the payments are not available to anyone who is ineligible for Paris qualifying. “I started weightlifting about a year and a half ago, and I’m really enjoying it,” Williams said. “I’m lucky that the owner of my gym is an Olympic weightlifting coach who said he’d teach me after he saw my cleans. I always enjoyed being in the weight room as a football player.” Aaron Williams (USA) Williams made 175-215-390 for fourth place, outperforming his team-mate Alejandro Medina, who failed with all three clean and jerks as he tried to improve on his best qualifying total of 385kg. Eduard Ziaziulin, who had an entry total of 440kg, declined all his remaining lifts after making 181kg with his first snatch. He has been suffering from a back problem and hopes to be fit for the World Championships in September. Ziaziulin, 24, made 447kg on total at his last competition for Belarus when he finished fourth at the 2021 IWF World Championships. By Brian Oliver, Inside the

IWF IN MOURNING – Ben Helfgott (GBR)

It is with great regret that the IWF learnt about the recent loss of Sir Ben Helfgott (GBR), an Olympian lifter in 1956 and 1960, at the age of 93. Mr Helfgott was an example of courage, determination, and resilience, as he was one of the very few athletes capable of competing at the Games after having survived the II World War Holocaust. Born in Poland in 1929 in a Jewish family, he was deported to a concentration camp and released in 1944, at the age of 15. After that, he pursued a successful career in weightlifting, having finished 13th at the Games in Australia and 18th in the Olympic celebration in Italy, both in the lightweight category. He was also a bronze medallist at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. Following his retirement from sports, he was deeply involved with Holocaust education and remembrance initiatives. For his strong and valuable commitment to this area, he was knighted by the Queen in 2018. In this moment of grief, the IWF presents its heartfelt condolences to Mr Helfgott's family and friends as well as to the entire British weightlifting community.