Forde, Day 2: Photo Gallery
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Forde, Day 2: Victory for PRK and China as battling Paris silver medallists Cambei (ROU) and Silachai (THA) finish second again
Two silver medallists from the Paris Olympic Games put up impressive performances on the second day of the IWF World Championships in Forde, Norway – but they could not overcome the might of PRK and China and had to settle for second place again. Mihaela Cambei from Romania, who was beaten for 49kg Olympic gold by Hou Zhouhui’s last lift in Paris, weighed in lighter than everybody else and fought “like a warrior” in the women’s 53kg behind Kang Hyon Gyong from PRK. Kang Hyon Gyong (PRK) In a tense finish to the men’s 60kg a couple of hours later, Theerapong Silachai from Thailand made up 10kg in his last two lifts but fell short of the target set by Wang Hao from China, who was making only his second international appearance since he won the 56kg junior world title in 2017. Silachai had finished second to a Chinese winner in Paris, too – Li Fabin at 61kg. Both Cambei and Silachai won a gold medal, in snatch and clean and jerk respectively. Kang failed with three attempts, one of them for a clean and jerk world record, but still made it two from two for PRK in the women’s events. Her 93-121-214 left Kang 6kg clear of Cambei on 94-114-208. The bronze medallist in Paris, Surodchana Khambao from Thailand, was third on 90-110-200. Kang’s total was only 1kg more than her formidable team-mate Ri Song Gum made in the 48kg on Thursday. Mihaela Cambei (ROU) Cambei was very happy to meet the targets she had set herself, making five good lifts for a career best in clean and jerk by 2kg and on total by 3kg. “I wanted to win gold in the snatch, then fight like a warrior for a place on the podium on total,” she said. “I did it, now let’s see how it goes from here.” Cambei weighed in light at 50.91kg. “It has been very hard to go up in weight,” Cambei said. “But at least I had time to work on it, and now it’s my responsibility to keep going.” Cansel Ozkan from Turkey, a bronze medallist in snatch, was fourth on 93-104-197. Kang had three white lights from the referees for her first snatch attempt, but it was ruled a no-lift by the jury for bending and extending. She missed her third snatch at 96kg, and a clean and jerk world record attempt on 127kg. The 19-year-old Chinese debutant Du Meiyuan failed with a junior world record snatch attempt at 94kg before retiring. Chen Guan-Ling from Chinese Taipei ended a disappointing year with a bombout. In six competitions since winning the 55kg junior world title on 217kg in Spain just over a year ago, Chen has never matched that total. Three snatch failures meant she has had one bombout and 12 missed attempts in her four appearances this year, but at least she won a clean and jerk bronze on 113kg. Wang Hao (CHN) Wang Hao was 4kg short of the world record in snatch with a lift to come, but he declined it. He then made all three clean and jerks to set a target on 138-164-302. His teenaged team-mate Yuan Hao missed a 132kg junior world record attempt in snatch. When Wang Hao had finished, Silachai and Pang Un Chol from PRK both had two attempts to come, but they were so far behind they duelled instead for clean and jerk gold. Silachai made both attempts to claim it on 129-170-299, with Pang third on 127-168-395 after failing at 171kg. Goderdzi Berdelidze from Georgia was fourth, 12kg behind Pang, and Yuan Hao was fifth with a total of 281kg. Theerapong Silachai (THA) In the B Group, Joshua Mboya from Kenya made 61kg more than his entry total. That was apparently down to an administrative error, but even so Mboya added 23kg to his best total, despite dropping his body weight by 2kg, in making 110-131-241. “It’s the result of hard work in training,” said Mboya, 20, who is studying at college. Kenya is beginning to see the benefits of a change in recruitment policy. “What we did in the past, taking people from other sports, was a mistake,” said John Ogolla, president of the Kenyan Federation. “No more gymnasts and body-builders for us, we take athletes direct from schools instead, straight into weightlifting. Joshua Mboya (KEN) “We have some good young athletes coming through and we hope to have six in Glasgow next year. At the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022 we had three.” By Brian Oliver Photos by Giorgio
Forde, Day 1: Photo Gallery
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Forde, Day 1: Winning start and world records for PRK’s Ri Song Gum – and a day to remember for Scottish doctor-to-be
The highlight of a busy first day at the IWF World Championships in Forde, Norway – four sessions and a colourful opening ceremony – was another victory, more world records and a joyful celebration for Ri Song Gum from PRK. When the IWF president Mohammed Jalood addressed a full house of 1,700 people at the opening ceremony at Fordehuset, he finished by saying, “I invite you all to now watch a great competition and a world record this evening.” Ri Song Gum (PRK) His prediction was right. About two hours later Ri finished off the women’s 48kg A Group by making world records in her last two lifts. She screamed, jumped for joy, waved to the crowd and twice kissed the discs before eventually leaving the platform. Ri held a firm salute on top of the podium as she sang the PRK anthem at the medal ceremony. Ri, 27, made 91-122-213 to finish well clear of Mirabai Chanu from India on 84-115-199 and Thanyathon Sukcharoen from Thailand on 88-110-198. She broke the world records on total and in clean and jerk with both her last two lifts at 120kg and 122kg. Ri had appeared to be on the way to a snatch record an hour earlier. Her renowned coach, Kim Chun Hui, made a point of applauding Ri’s perfectly executed opener at 88kg, and a second attempt at 91kg put Ri within 4kg of the world record. But the jury intervened after three white lights from the referees, and overturned the decision for bending and extending. Mirabai Chanu (IND) Ri, who made her international debut 11 years ago, set seven world records at 49kg after PRK’s return to international competition in 2023. In April last year, she made 15kg more than China’s Hou Zhihui needed for Olympic gold in Paris four months later. PRK was ineligible for Paris because the team’s four-year absence during and after the Covid pandemic kept them out of the qualifying programme for too long. Chanu, who was fourth in Paris and won Olympic silver in Tokyo, failed with two snatch attempts but made all three clean and jerks. At 31, she looks to be on the way back to her best after two years blighted by injury and is clear favourite for Commonwealth Games gold next year. Thanyathon Sukcharoen (THA) Sukcharoen, a world champion in 2021 and 2022, also failed twice in snatch, and missed her final clean and jerk attempt on 113kg. In the lunchtime C Group, an enthusiastic young audience at the Fordehuset Arena applauded the loaders before a lift had been made. They gave noisy encouragement when an athlete was in danger of bombing out, or if they showed a bit of character on the platform, which Alex Mackay from Scotland did. “I’d describe myself as quite bouncy, and they liked that,” she said. “The crowd’s support was great and I really enjoyed it.” Mackay, 23, is one of the 36 athletes in Forde whose team is listed as CWF – Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation. They are from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Jersey, and are in Norway seeking to make qualifying targets for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next year. They are “extras” whose results do not count in the World Championships. Alex Mackay (CWF) Mackay, who was full of energy throughout her five-from-six 61-84-145, put 3kg on her best total and needs to find another 7kg at next year’s European Championships to hit her target and lift at a major Games in her home country. “It would be amazing to be in Glasgow, to have all my family there watching – especially my granny and granddad,” she said. “They love to follow me and they’ll have been watching the livestream from here.” Mackay and her family are from Portskerra, way up north in the Scottish Highlands. After 10 years as a swimmer, Mackay took up weightlifting only three years ago at university in Dundee, where she trains alone while in the fifth of six years studying medicine. Scotland has set minimum standards for its lifters, who can take host nation places, and head coach John McEwan is hoping as many as nine might hit them. “The sport is stronger in Scotland than it has been for a while,” he said. The medal events on Friday are women’s 53kg and men’s 60kg, and PRK has a strong contender in both. By Brian Oliver Photos by Giorgio
IWF Executive Board successfully meets before the Worlds in Forde (NOR)
Under the leadership of IWF President Mohammed Jalood, the IWF held its Executive Board meeting in Forde (NOR) with the occasion of the 2025 IWF World Championships, taking place from October 2-11. Among the main decisions and discussions during the two-day gathering, we can include the update of the IWF By-laws, the successful implementation and delivery of the first cards to coaches under the International Coaching Licence programme, the finalisation of the eight-year agreement with sport apparel manufacturer SBD, the organisation of a World Cup event in 2026 in Samoa, the confirmation of the 2026 IWF World Youth Championships to be held in Bogota (COL), the update on the qualification system for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028, the choice of Sole Suppliers for LA 2028 (Eleiko) and YOG Dakar 2026 (ZKC), the approval of a ‘Host Bidding Procedure” for the IWF events, the preparation status of upcoming IWF events (IWF World Championships 2026 in Ningbo, China; IWF Junior World Championships in Ismailia, Egypt; and 2027 IWF World Youth Championships in Asuncion, Paraguay), and the presentation of a detailed report about the current ‘Digital Transformation’ project. At the beginning of the meeting, Stian Grimseth, president of the Norwegian Weightlifting Federation and also of the Organising Committee of the World Championships welcomed the entire IWF family in Forde and ensured that everything is in place “for a great and memorable edition” of the IWF showcase. “I know Forde is a small city, but all participants in this event will surely live an unforgettable experience,” declared Grimseth. The first cards of the International Coaching Licence (ICL) programme were delivered - From left to right: José Quiñones (IWF General Secretary), Mohammed Jalood (IWF President), Mohammed Al-Harbi (IWF Vice-President and Saudi Arabia WL Federation President), and Colin Buckley (ICL manager) The IWF President also expressed his confidence that the Championships “will be a milestone in the IWF history, with many great performances and hopefully several World Records”. Mr Jalood acknowledged the excellent work made by the Organisers and wish all the participants “the best of luck” in Forde. Lecturers at the Seminar on Prevention of Competition Manipulation - From left to right; José Quiñones (IWF General Secretary), Kristin Kloster (IOC EB Member), Eirik Haugen Tysse (Norwegian Gambling Authority Senior Advisor), Forrester Osei (IWF Athletes Commission Chair and IWF Ambassador on Prevention of Competition Manipulation), and Atle Hamar (Norwegian Gambling Authority Director) After the conclusion of the EB meeting, IWF General Secretary José Quiñones and IWF Athletes Commission Chair Forrester Osei took part, as lecturers, in a ‘Seminar on Prevention of Competition Manipulation’, staged by the Forde 2025 Organising Committee and the Norwegian Gambling Authority. The Olympic Movement perspective was also presented, thanks to Kristin Kloster, IOC Executive Board Member in Norway. IWF
IWF delegation visits Los Angeles to discuss the Olympic Games 2028
An IWF delegation was recently in Los Angeles to meet the Organising Committee of the Olympic Games 2028 and to discuss about the preparation of the weightlifting event. The group included the two IWF Technical Delegates to the competition, Ursula Papandrea (IWF First Vice-President) and Matthew Curtain (IWF Executive Board member), and also the IWF CEO Achilleas Tsogas. From left to right: Achilleas Tsogas (IWF CEO), Niccolo Campriani (LA2028 Sports Director), Ursula Papandrea (IWF First Vice-President and Technical Delegate), and Matthew Curtain (IWF EB Member and Technical Delegate) With less than three years for the start of the Games – the Opening Ceremony is scheduled to take place on July 14, 2028 – and coinciding with the IOC announcement that two additional bodyweight categories will be on the programme for the weightlifting event, the IWF representatives had the opportunity to visit the proposed venue for the IWF, the Peacock Theater. The IWF delegation visiting the Peacock Theater This prestigious location hosts the annual most prestigious cultural events in Los Angeles, including the famous Emmy Awards Gala. Located in the city downtown, it will be a privileged scenario for the outstanding performances of the 120 lifters who will compete at the Olympics. The IWF delegation was also briefed about the transportation plan at the Games’ time and could visit the hotels that are being proposed for the IWF family. Inside the Peacock Theater The next steps related with the sports programme will be the definition of the six bodyweight categories for both men and women, and the establishment of the Olympic Qualification System, in close co-operation with the IOC. IWF
