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From grassroots to the Olympics

With 17 athletes in Durres (ALB), the US team is the nation with more competitors at the IWF World Youth Championships. Having medalled at the previous six editions of the event, the North American delegation naturally expects to have some podium visibility in 2023. After the third day of the youth global showcase, none of the US lifters has yet reached a top-3 finish, but for Suzy Sanchez, the Team Leader, this is not the main objective.   “With the youth, we just want them to have a good time. It’s very important in terms of development, so they can experience international competition and improve their long-term athletic progress,” states Sanchez. “Therefore, no big expectations other than athletes having fun”. With almost half of the team members (8/17) coming to their first international event, it is fundamentally a time of discovery. “They are all so excited to be here! Many of them had never travelled abroad or to Europe. So, they were quite thrilled to learn about a new culture here in Albania, to try new food, and to make new friends. We spent a lot of time on the beach, so they really enjoyed that”.   However, the US Team Leader admits that there are solid hopes for a strong performance from Corey Robinson, in the men’s 102kg. “He is one of our highest athletes coming to Albania. We would love to see a great result from him”. Competing on Friday, Robinson has an entry total of 266kg in his category. Since the event’s creation in 2009, the US team has won 58 medals in the competition (with a maximum of 16 linings in 2019).   When asked to elaborate on the national youth programme in the USA, Sanchez explains: “We don’t have a specific nationwide model. All of our youth come from our local clubs. In the US, weightlifting has a decentralised training structure, so individual clubs are recruiting locally. Those athletes then qualify for the Nationals and can compete together. It’s a great grassroots effort across the entire nation”.   This model reached its limits during the Covid pandemic and provoked a disruption in the career development of many young athletes. “It definitively impacted our local clubs. As we have such a decentralised system, when many cities shut down due to the pandemic, a lot of our club owners lost their businesses. Many of them were able to rebuild and expanded their services to include online coaching programmes (remote coaching) and they have now large remote teams,” Sanchez recalls. “It also allowed for more shared information across the country, from coaches to coaches and from athletes to athletes. There is always something positive from something like this, so in this case I believe it was the development of online models, virtual coaching symposiums, and even online competitions”.   The always-challenging transition from youth/junior to senior level is also a topic of concern. “Every year, our Youth National Championships grows and grows – at our biggest event, we had five platforms and over 900 athletes. We continue anticipating growth among youth, so it’s going really well,” she admits. “Normally, we have an average of 30% of our youth athletes that proceed then to the senior level. We would like to raise this average, but it’s already quite good. We have a couple of Olympic hopefuls for LA 2028 and some future world team members,” Sanchez reveals.   The question is therefore obvious: from the group of athletes present in Albania, will we see some of them at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles? “That’s the hope!” But for that, weightlifting has to definitively secure its place in the Games’ programme. “I love weightlifting and we should all love seeing weightlifting in the Olympics!” By Pedro Adrega, IWF

Durres, Day 3: Canada does it again as 12-year-old Emily becomes weightlifting’s youngest ever medallist

Emily Ibanez Guerrero lived up to her billing as one of the most exciting young talents in the world when she won three medals at the IWF World Youth Championships in Durres, Albania. In the women’s 55kg Emily was second in the snatch, third in clean and jerk, and third on total behind Gelen Torres Gomez (COL) and Rosalinda Faustino (PHI). She was in tears after failing with her final attempt, having made five good lifts, but soon cheered up as she realised what an achievement she had made – the youngest medallist ever in international weightlifting. “Winning a medal like this has been a dream for me since I was very young,” said Emily, who started learning technique aged six and has “always enjoyed the sport and always enjoyed training”. She had been messing around in the gym since she was “about a year and a half” said her mother and coach Abigail Guerrero. Emily’s 79-98-177 effort, a personal best total, meant that for the second time in 48 hours a 12-year-old Canadian became the sport’s youngest ever medallist. Nobody under 13 had won a medal in international competition before these Championships, according to the OlyFanatics database that has results of 34,000 lifters dating back to 1898. On Saturday Ivy Buzinhani Brustello – Emily’s team-mate, club-mate and friend - won the women’s 40kg title aged 12 years 264 days. Now Emily, whose 12th birthday was on December 27, has made it to the podium aged 12 years 90 days. Both girls train at the Beyond Lifting club in Montreal, run by Emily’s parents. Guerrero lifted for Spain and has won Masters world titles, while her husband Ciro Ibanez was an international lifter for Cuba and coached in France and Spain before moving to Canada. Guerrero coaches both girls and Ibanez coaches his son Brayan, who became Canada’s first ever youth world medallist last year. Brayan, a veteran at 16, lifts tomorrow (Wed) in Durres in the men’s 81kg hoping to post a big enough total to earn selection for Canada’s senior team at the IWF Grand Prix in Cuba in June – an Olympic qualifier. “Emily’s biggest inspiration has always been her brother,” said Guerrero. Emily said, “The two most important things in my life are weightlifting and my family.” She could not call her dad from the Ramazan Njala Sport Complex in Durres because there was no wifi signal after the competition finished. Torres Gomez, the first winner from the Americas here, made six from six for 82-100-182 and Faustino made 78-100-178. Darya Balabyuk (KAZ) took the snatch bronze with 78kg. Pan Hsing Chen from Chinese Taipei was a clear winner in the women’s 49kg. She did not start her snatch attempts until everybody else had finished, made all six of her lifts and had a sweep of gold medals on 73-90-163. Pan, who had competed online in 2020 but never in person at an international event, trains at the same centre as her hero Kuo Hsing-Chun, the 59kg Olympic champion and multiple world record holder. “Kuo is my inspiration,” said Pan, 16, whose two sisters are national level weightlifters. “I am not from a weightlifting family but when I tried it for the first time I knew this was the sport for me. I just love to be on the platform.” The venue was thrown into darkness for a few minutes when Pan and the Chinese Taipei team were taking celebratory photos on the platform but the power cut did not deter them and they took a few by the light of their mobile phones. Second on total was the 15-year-old African youth champion Habiba Abdelfattah (EGY) with 69-83-152. Maria Stratoudaki (GRE) put in an impressive performance, making her final attempt at 86kg to take silver in clean and jerk. That put the 14-year-old, who came into weightlifting from CrossFit, ahead of 13-year-old Nicoleta Cojocaru (MDA) into third place on total with 66-86-152. Cocojaru, third in the snatch behind Pan and Abdelfattah, was Moldova’s first world youth medallist in 11 years. Alexia Sipos (ROU) took bronze in the clean and jerk on 84kg. In the men’s 67kg Serozhya Barseghyan (ARM) missed his final two lifts but had already built a winning lead on total. His 128-147-275 left him 5kg clear of Mohamed Al Marzouq (KSA), the clean and jerk gold medallist who made 121-149-270, and Bharali Bedabrate (IND) on 119-148-267. Nurasyl Arapbay (KAZ) was third in the snatch on 120kg. Barseghyan, whose father is a youth coach, started the sport aged eight and was making his international debut. Both he and the clean and jerk silver medallist Ditto Ika (NRU) cited lifters from another era as role models who have inspired them in the sport. For Barseghyan it was the 1980 Olympic champion Yurik Vardanyan, one of weightlifting’s all-time greats, and for Ika it was his national federation president Marcus Stephen, who became president of Nauru after his illustrious lifting career was over. This was Nauru’s first medal at a world championships for many years, and national team coach Saul Detenamo said the sport was “coming up pretty strong again”. Nauru has six athletes entered in Durres, four men and two women. Al Marzouq was in tears at last year’s World Youth Championships in León, Mexico after an injury forced him to retire after the snatch when he was in second place in the 61kg category. He failed with his first clean and jerk today but then made 143kg and 149kg with his final two attempts. By Brian Oliver, Inside the

IWF/ITA Seminar: A step further in anti-doping education

In a packed room, the IWF, in co-operation with the International Testing Agency (ITA), organised this morning an Anti-Doping Education Seminar, at the start of the third day of competition at the IWF World Youth Championships in Durres (ALB). ITA Ambassador Toby Atkins was in charge of briefing the participants (athletes and coaches taking place in the event) about the anti-doping procedures, namely the whereabouts, the list of prohibited substances, and the global rights and responsibilities related to this topic. Among the attendees was Violeta Shqevi, Head of the Anti-Doping Education department at the Albanian NADO (National Anti-Doping Organisation).   “I am glad to see so much interest in this conference. It shows that you are all keen to have additional information on this complex issue. Education is the major priority in the field of anti-doping fight, as you all need to understand that doping is equal to cheating. It’s as simple as that,” Atkins considered. A former cyclist, the British ambassador was a whistleblower in his sport and is now determined in making sure that the situations he went through in his career do not happen again. “A doping violation is not only caused by the ingestion of prohibited substances. There is a wide range of scenarios that can lead to an adverse doping violation. You must be aware of those situations and remain extremely vigilant throughout your training and competition routines,” explained Atkins to a very attentive audience.   In conjunction with this Seminar, the IWF/ITA has installed an information booth at the reception level of the hotel where the delegations taking part in these Championships are accommodated. “Everyone has questions on these issues. It’s normal, so don’t hesitate to find us during these next days and ask whatever you want to clarify on anti-doping procedures,” the ITA representative appealed. Be part of our #ILiftClean campaign!

Building a renewed weightlifting in India

India is one of the best-represented nations in terms of athletes at the IWF World Youth Championships, having brought 13 athletes to Durres (ALB). At the end of the second day of competition, the Asian powerhouse has already collected 12 medals (four silver, eight bronze) and more are expected to come.   With a long and successful tradition in weightlifting, India went through some turbulent moments in the past, namely due to an excessive number of doping cases. This challenging period is now part of history and those responsible for the country’s national weightlifting federation are determined to change not only the image but also the overall development of the sport. Leading the Indian delegation in Albania, Sahdev Yadav, the President of India’s governing body, is a happy and confident man. “We are definitively putting a lot of effort into educating and teaching our youth about the problems related to doping. We want a clean sport in India. We had some problems in the past, but the present and the future are definitively different. We are staging a lot of seminars and educational programmes for our children. Many of our athletes come from less-favoured families, they don’t have a lot of education, so this effort is needed from our side,” admits Mr Yadav.   Speaking about the national development plan for weightlifting, the Indian leader explains: “Our political authorities are doing their utmost to provide us with development platforms for our youth and children around the country. There is a national programme aimed at developing the sport in the schools and children are benefitting from it. We have also a programme for talent detection and many schemes are coming up, especially in women’s weightlifting”.  A major priority for Indian Weightlifting Federation is precisely to guarantee a sport-balanced sport. “The prime-minister has made mandatory a 50-50 participation in sport, so this has helped a lot. At our level, we are developing very fast, not only in terms of athletes, but also with officials and coaches. The lifters are getting a lot of motivation from these programmes and we are very optimistic about the future of weightlifting in our country. Parents in India should now say to their daughters to join the sport!” he continues. “Women in our country are not confined to four walls anymore – now they are ambitious and career-oriented. Over the last 10 years, the budget and the number of competitions has also dramatically increased, so conditions are now more favourable for positive development,” Mr Yadav adds.   At the elite level, a pivotal moment of change occurred at the Tokyo Olympics, when Chanu Saikhom Mirabai won the silver in the women’s 49kg category, one of the two medals for the country in the sport at the Games’ level (the other one being a bronze in Sydney 2000, also among women). “We expect to qualify three lifters for the Paris 2024 Olympics and get a medal – a gold from Mirabai. She is preparing very hard and will be in great shape next year in France”.   Reflecting on the performances of the youth national team in Albania, the Indian responsible aims for more successes in the upcoming days: “We are of course expecting more medals in other categories. But whatever happens, we are really happy with the performances so far, as for many of them this is their first international competition. Seeing them climbing on the podium is a great satisfaction for us. We are doing well!”   After this European stop, the priorities for the Indian team are the Asian Championships, taking place in Jinju (KOR) from May 3-13, and the IWF World Championships, scheduled for September 2-17 in Riyadh (KSA). Between these two major rendezvous, New Delhi will stage for the first time the Commonwealth Championships in weightlifting (at youth, junior and senior level) from July 12-16. “This is of course a very important opportunity for our lifters and for the progress of the sport in India,” concludes Mr Yadav, also Vice-President of the Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation. By Pedro Adrega, IWF

Durres, Day 2: World records for Vietnam – and “Tokyo effect” spurs on Philippines and Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan and the Philippines both had champions and runners-up on a busy second day of the IWF World Youth Championships in Durres, Albania, showing that “the Tokyo effect” is working in their favour. The winner of the women’s 45kg was from Turkmenistan and second place went to the Philippines, while in the following men’s 61kg it was the other way around, with a Filipino winner ahead of a Turkmenistan athlete. In the other medal event of the day, the men’s 55kg, K Duong (VIE) broke all three of his own youth world records when he finished 24kg clear of his nearest rival. Young athletes from the Philippines and Turkmenistan have been inspired by national heroes at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Hidilyn Diaz was the first Olympic champion for the Philippines when she won at 55kg and Polina Guryeva, a silver medallist at 59kg, is the only Turkmenistan athlete in any sport to have stood on the Olympic podium. Mohammed Jalood, president of the IWF, pointed out that India, who have won at least one medal in every contest so far in Durres, and Canada have also prospered at these Championships after good results at the Tokyo Olympics. “They are getting more support from the government,” Jalood said. “We are seeing the new generation in weightlifting here, not just the individuals but a new generation of nations winning medals.” Albert Delos Santos, whose mother Diwa is the Philippines team coach, said after winning the men’s 61kg with a successful last lift, “Hidilyn Diaz is an inspiration to us all, her victory gives us motivation, gives us hope. “I was born into this sport because my mum and dad were both international weightlifters, and I was lucky enough to train with Hidilyn for the summer. She and her coach taught me about having the right mindset. They gave me their wisdom.” Delos Santos, 16, won with 110-149-259 ahead of Perhat Bagtyyarov (TKM) on 114-144-258. Bagtyyarov won the snatch gold and Delos Santos was a winner in clean and jerk and total. Third place on total went to K Brum (VIE) on 113-142-255, and Tinku Golom (IND) took the snatch bronze with 112kg. Angeline Colonia (PHI), the only current world record holder in the women’s entries, was in the lead right until the end of the women’s 45kg, but was beaten into second place by the impressive 13-year-old Ogulshat Amanova (TKM), who made six from six and never looked like missing a lift. There have been world champions aged 13 and 12 – Ivy Buzinhani Brustello (CAN) – on the opening weekend of the Championships. How come girls so young can win world titles? “No relaxing, no let-up, just hard training every day,” said Amanova, whose father Gurbandurdy Amanov is coach of the national youth team. “My father is very strong, he helps me so much.” Amanova joked, “I am very strong too and everyone at my school know it, so they don’t mess with me.” She said she felt she was “flying high like a bird” after her 71-85-156, a personal best by 20kg in international competition. Amanova’s sister Medine competes at 59kg on Tuesday and could make it a golden double for the family, as she has the highest entry total by 10kg.  Guryeva has been an inspiration for young athletes, Amanova  said. The Olympic medallist has not competed since December 2021 after marrying, and is expecting her first child next month. Colonia, whose older brother Nestor competed at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and is coached by her uncle Gregorio, a 1988 Olympian, won the snatch and finished 72-83-155. Akshanka Vyavahare (IND), a snatch gold medallist at 40kg last year, was third on 68-82-150 and her team-mate Asmita Dhone (IND) made 83kg to take the clean and jerk bronze. Lawren Estrada (COL), the winner on total in last year’s 40kg contest, was way behind in the snatch but made 84kg to finish second in clean and jerk and fifth on total. Within three weeks of his 16th birthday, K Duong (VIE) broke all three of his own youth world records in winning the men’s 55kg. Duong, who was the only current world record holder among the men’s entries here, has made only 11 attempts in his international weightlifting career and he has already set six world records. Last July Duong broke the world and continental youth records on his debut at the Asian Championships in Uzbekistan when he made 113-143-256. He declined his final clean and jerk and finished 8kg clear of his nearest rival. Today at the Ramazan Njala Sport Complex in Durres he missed his first snatch attempt at 107kg because of a press-out, made it next time to secure the snatch gold and then went up 7kg to better his world best by 1kg. His first clean and jerk of 132kg gave him a sweep of golds. He then jumped 12kg, just failed with the jerk, and came back to make the lift with his final attempt. Duong will be old enough to compete as a junior next year and will no doubt be targeting the world records at that level, which stand at 122-148-265. His team-mate A Tieu (VIE) was second in the snatch on 106kg but dropped away to finish fifth on total. Meetei Tomchou (IND), third in the snatch and second in clean and jerk, took silver on total with 103-131-234, and Burak Aykun (TUR) was third in clean and jerk and total on 102-125-227. By Brian Oliver, Inside the

Don’t miss our Anti-Doping Seminar and booth in Durres!

The IWT is delighted to be partnering with the International Testing Agency (ITA) at the 2023 IWF World Youth Championships in Durres (ALB) to deliver an Anti-Doping Education Seminar, taking place this Monday, March 27, at 10h00 at the Hotel Grand Blue Fafa Resort (ground floor level).  An ITA Education Ambassador, Toby Atkins, will deliver a presentation for all interested about clean sport. Moreover, he will be available to answer all individual questions, including: - The Doping Control Process- Understanding the Prohibited List and Checking Medications- Applying for a Therapeutic Use Exemption- Rights and responsibilities related to Anti-Doping Finally, an IWF/ITA Information Booth will be available next to the reception of the hotel for all those who would like to be briefed on our anti-doping policy. The booth is open to everyone and attendance is strongly encouraged. Be part of our #ILiftClean