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IWF120y/85 – 1952: John Davis (USA) completes a 14-year winning streak with second Olympic gold

He was one of the weightlifting heroes in the years following World War II: US legend John Davis. Born in January 1921 in Brooklyn (New York), he was only 17 when he won in 1938 his first world title in Vienna (AUT). Statistically, he remained unbeaten until 1952, but his career had to be halted during the world conflict, when he served in the US Army between 1941-1945, being mobilised on the Pacific front. If the Olympics and World Championships had not been cancelled during the period 1939-1945, his roll of honour would have been even more impressive. Despite the adverse circumstances, Davis kept his good shape and strong motivation to win, and appeared stronger than ever at the 1946 Worlds, where he was again the best. He repeated the achievement in 1947 and arrived in London for his first Olympic appearance. In the +82.5kg, his performances went unmatched, as he clinched the gold in 137.5-137.5-177.5-452.5. In subsequent years, he got three more victories at the IWF showcase, in 1949, 1950 and 1951. Arrived at the 1952 Games in Helsinki as the favourite to triumph in the +90kg category, he confirmed his supremacy, winning in 150-145-165-460, a new Olympic record. After two Olympic and six World Championships gold medals, Davis entered the 1953 global showcase in Stockholm, but due to a thigh injury he had to be content with silver. It was the end of a 14-year winning streak that consecrated Davis as one of the greatest lifters in history. After establishing 16 World Records (two in Press, seven in Snatch, four in Clean & Jerk, and three in Total) throughout this impressive career, he definitively left the platforms in 1956, after suffering a serious leg injury at the Olympic Trials for the Melbourne Games. John Davis died in July 1984, aged 63.

Lima, Day 6: Iran’s big four dominate heavyweights with two 1-2 finishes on final day in Peru

Iran had a 1-2 finish in both the heaviest men’s events on the final day of the 2025 World Youth and Junior Championships in Lima, Peru. The women’s winners on an all-juniors programme were from Turkmenistan and Turkiye. Iran’s big four weighed in at 509kg and lifted a combined total of 1,556kg.   At 109kg Alireza Nasiri has been making 230kg clean and jerks in training – enough for the junior world record – but he declined his final attempt after five good lifts and finished 30kg clear on 180-220-400. Farhad Gholizadeh, who won the Asian youth title on his last international appearance two years ago, made 165-205-370 in second place. “I was tired and because it was one lift straight after the other I didn’t feel ready for the world record today – but I know I can do it,” Nasiri said. Alireza Nasiri (IRI) He lifted at 102kg last year, when he was second in the Asian Juniors to the junior world record holder Shahzadbek Matyakubov on 171-218-389. “I felt better at 102 but I wanted to come up in weight because I want to be going for gold at the Los Angeles Olympics,” said Nasiri. “The category will be 110 there. I am 19 and I can improve a lot in three years.” The +109kg super-heavyweights Hamidreza Mohammaditanha and Taha Nemati made lower totals than Nasiri and have very little chance of making it to the Olympics in 2028. Iran’s leading super-heavyweight, 21-year-old Alireza Yousefi, is training again after knee surgery three months ago and is hoping to lift at the World Championships in Norway in October. Then there is Ayat Sharifi, 24, who is entered for the Asian Championships in China starting this week. Their best totals are way higher than today’s medallists. Mohammaditanha made 181-213-394 and Nemati 180-212-392. They tried to make big jumps in clean and jerk and both failed with two of their attempts. Hamidreza Mohammaditanha (IRI) Georgii Myand from Russia, competing as a neutral, made 175-207-382 in third place. His only failure was a final clean and jerk attempt at 214kg, which left Marek Gugala third in that discipline on 208kg. Andrii Borovskyi from Ukraine held on to third place at 109kg on 165-201-366 when Marcin Ziolkowski from Poland failed with his final clean and jerk attempt at 207kg. Yemialyan Maskaleu from Belarus, competing as a neutral, bombed out in clean and jerk after finishing second in snatch on 169kg. Kudratbek Salimjonov from Uzbekistan, who dropped to sixth on total, was third in snatch on 167kg. Women Junior 87 After three near misses in second place during the Championships, Turkmenistan had a winner when Anamjan Rustamova put in an impressive performance in clean and jerk. She was the only athlete in the top eight to make all three attempts after the interval. Anamjan Rustamova (TKM) The Asian junior champion Rustamova, who will be 19 on Thursday, made 108-141-249, a bigger total than the super-heavyweight winner. She was sixth in snatch after one failure but was 5kg clear at the end. Vanessa Lizarraga from Mexico made 109-135-244 in second place and Mariia Gruzdova from Russia, competing as a neutral, was third on 108-134-242. Rahma Ahmed from Egypt declined her final attempt after suffering an injury in clean and jerk. She won snatch gold on 110kg, and Zhao Ziyu from China took snatch bronze on 109kg before finishing fourth on 241kg. Fatmagul Cevik (TUR) Women Junior +87 Fatmagul Cevik from Turkey won the title when she was the only one of the top three to make her final attempt in a tense finish. Cevik made 110-135-245 ahead of Yairan Tysforod from Colombia on 111-131-242. Lee Haeun from Korea made a 7kg jump on her penultimate lift to take clean and jerk gold and move into third place, but she failed with the last one and finished 106-135-241. Hanna Kalashnyk from Ukraine, who was fourth, won silver in clean and jerk on 135kg. By Brian Oliver Photos by Giorgio

IWF120y/84 – 2008: Chen Yanqing (CHN) – fighting against all odds

This is the successful story of a lifter who could have remained in the most strict anonymity but ended up being the first Chinese female athlete in our Sport to win two (consecutive) Olympic gold medals. Born in 1979 in a remote part of China – in a tiny farming village called Xishan, on an island near Suzhou, two hours away from Shanghai – the modest conditions of the family didn’t allow Chen Yanqing to have big dreams concerning her future. She had however one quality: she was physically strong! At 10, she is spotted by a local coach and is sent to a state athletic school to continue her education and training. Significant international results appear some years later – gold at the 1997 and 1999 IWF World Championships (photo), and also a victory at the 1998 Asian Games. Despite these achievements, she is not called to the Chinese national team competing at the Sydney 2000 Olympics – where, for the first time, women were admitted to the event. This decision was painful for Chen, who decided to retire and dedicate some years to her education, a Business Management degree in Suzhou. Things could have ended here concerning her weightlifting story, but the Chinese ace still wanted to prove she could shine at the Olympic level. She qualifies for the 2004 rendezvous in Athens and gets her first gold in the 58kg category, in 107.5-130-237.5. Four years later, on home soil, she does even better, revalidating in Beijing her title in 106-138-244 – this was an impressive outcome in this category, as she lifted 18kg more than the silver medallist! After Chen’s feats, only two other Chinese female lifters have earned so far two Olympic gold medals: Li Wenwen and Hou Zhihui, both in Tokyo 2020ne and Paris

Lima, Day 5: Brazil completes golden double, Venezuela has a new star and PRK wins Junior gold for first time since 2016

Mattheus Pessanha claimed a world record as he won at 102kg to complete a golden double for Brazil at the World Youth and Junior Championships in Lima, Peru. On a good day for the Pan American nations, 15-year-old Lidysmar Aparicio from Venezuela made her final lift to win the 81kg Youth world title and also finish on the podium in the Juniors behind the clear winner from PRK, Kim Yong Ju. Another Venezuelan, Barbara Mendoza was second in the Youth super-heavyweights. Pessanha, who was involved in the best men’s session at last year’s World Juniors in León, Spain on his international debut, has since joined the Navy and is able to train full-time in Rio de Janeiro. Matheus Pessanha (BRA) He had never bettered 215kg in competition or training but he did it with the last of six good lifts to take the clean and jerk junior world record on 220kg. Pessanha, who will be 20 in August, is his nation’s first male world champion in any age group - five days after 14-year-old Isanelly da Silva became Brazil’s first female winner in the 40kg Youths. “Our preparations for this competition were very good,” said national coach Dragos Doru Storica. “We have more weightlifters now, we train better. We are coming.” Pessanha had a world record for about a minute and a half in León seven months ago. He lost it to the next lift by the champion from Turkmenistan, Shahzadbek Matyakubov. Matyakubov is too old for the Juniors now. Pessanha and the 2024 bronze medallist Mahmoud Hosny from Egypt had strong competition this time from Iran, which fielded the 18-year-olds Abolfazi Zare and Amirmohammad Soileimani. With three lifts remaining, Mattheus had put himself in a good position by making all five lifts to lead by 1kg. Zare, also on five good lifts, went first at 214kg and failed. Hosny was a long way behind after three failures and went for 215kg for clean and jerk gold. He, too, failed. Out came Pessanha to make his record lift and finish 175-220-395, up 12kg on last year when he was second. Zare made 176-210-386, and Hosny 168-203-371. Soleimani was fourth, 45kg behind the winner. Enrique Montero, president of the Brazil Federation for 12 years, acknowledged the role of his coach and highlighted the fine details that have helped the team to thrive. “Small details make a big difference in high-performance sport, and we have improved them all round,” Montero said. “Our national championships now are run with the infrastructure of a World Championships. We have a new training base, new equipment, professional support, and new athletes. If we keep improving the details we can keep winning medals.” Kim Jong Yu (PRK) Women 81 Juniors and Youths Kim Jong Yu made all six lifts and finished 5kg clear, giving PRK its first Junior world title since the team last competed in this event in 2016. Kim Ju Phyong had a chance to beat her to it in the men’s 61kg on Thursday but he injured himself and had to withdraw after finishing second in snatch. Kim, 20, made 110-142-252 ahead of 18-year-old Xu Qianran from China on 106-141-247. Third place went to Lidysmar Aparicio from Venezuela. The 15-year-old had a great day, winning the Youth world title and taking a sweep of bronze medals in the Juniors. Aparicio improved her best total, made at the Bolivarian Games last November, by 20kg in making all six attempts for 103-127-230. Lidysmar Aparicio (VEN) Li Xue, a 17-year-old debutant from China, led until Aparicio made her final lift. Li failed once in snatch in making 104-125-229.   Alya Maulida Kartika from Indonesia became Indonesia’s first medallist on total at the dual Championships, making a six-from-six 96-120-216 in third place. Women +81 Youths The top three did not miss a lift between them. Uzbekistan had its first winner of the week, after two second-place finishes, when Mohinur Esonboeva made 98-127-225. Barbara Mendoza was second for Venezuela on 99-125-224, and Mollie King became New Zealand’s second medallist in successive days when she made 97-126-223. Sofia Vragova from Russia, competing as a neutral, failed with her last two attempts after winning snatch gold and finished fourth on 100-113-213. Men 102 Youths Georgia had two on the podium. Jaba Tkeshelashvili, who was fourth in the same venue at last year’s World Youths, won by a wide margin on 145-192-337. Alisher Osmanov from Uzbekistan was second on 146-170-316 and Saba Chikhladze led the B Group lifters to take third place on 130-162-292. Hossein Yazdani (IRI) Men +102 Youths Hossein Yazdani won for Iran on 144-190-334, finishing clear of three athletes who were separated by 1kg. Harutyun Hovhannisyan from Armenia was second on 150-173-323 ahead of Volodymyr Chmykh from Ukraine on 143-180-323. Fourth-placed Semen Karaev from Russia, competing as a neutral, was edged out of the medals on total despite taking snatch silver and clean and jerk bronze on 147-175-322. By Brian Oliver Photos by Giorgio

IWF120y/83 – 1985: Yurik Vardanyan (URS) retires after a brilliant career

Armenia has no Olympic gold medallist in weightlifting so far, but the triumph of Yurik Vardanyan at the 1980 Moscow Games and the additional six titles at the World Championships makes him the best lifter so far in the country's history. Born in June 1956 in Leninakan (then Soviet Union, now Gyumri in Armenia), he could never compete for his native nation, as he retired in 1985, some years before the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the independence of its former republics. At 14, he started practicing weightlifting under the guidance of his uncle, and seven years later, in 1977, he wins his first gold medal at the World Championships held in Stuttgart (GER). He would revalidate his title in the two subsequent editions, in 1978 and 1979. Competing in the 82.5kg category, he arrives at the Moscow 1980 Olympics as one of the favourites for the win. He confirms his credentials, by convincingly lifting 177.5-222.5-400 for the victory (photo). He is the first lifter in this category to ever achieve a 400kg Total. His supremacy remains unaltered in the years to follow, with three additional gold medals in the IWF global showcase, in 1981, 1983, and 1985. His best result at the Worlds was precisely his last one, with a performance of 177.5-220-397.5. In parallel, he sets a total of 41 World Records throughout his prolific career, namely with 15 global marks in Snatch (best of 190kg), another 15 in Clean & Jerk (228kg), and 11 in Total. After his retirement in 1985, he spent his life between the USA and Armenia, coming definitively back to Yerevan in 2009. His son Norayr, born in 1987, also became a lifter, representing Armenia at the 2012 Olympics. Yurik Varanyan passed away in November 2018, at the age of

Lima, Day 4: Simoneau wins again for Canada – and it’s ‘Super Saturday’ for Oceania thanks to Fiji, New Zealand and Samoa

There was a remarkable sight at the medal presentation after an entertaining women’s 71kg session at the World Youth and Junior Championships in Lima, Peru – weightlifters from Canada and New Zealand standing on the podium above an athlete from China. Charlotte Simoneau continued her remarkable run of results by winning her second Junior world title for Canada, improving her best numbers yet again on 111-134-245. In all but one of her 10 competitions to date Simoneau, who will be 20 in four weeks, has improved her best snatch or clean and jerk, or both. Charlotte Simoneau (CAN) Another big improver took second place. Like Simoneau, Olivia Selemaia from New Zealand made all six lifts, putting 13kg on her previous best total on 106-129-235. Before the medal ceremony Selemaia ran across the back room to congratulate Nehemiah Elder, who became Fiji’s first world champion when he won the Youths 89kg title in the concurrent men’s session on the other platform. There was more to come for Oceania when Seine Stowers from Samoa finished second in the women’s 76kg Youths behind Varvara Kuzminova, an Individual Neutral Athlete from Russia. Kuzminova broke youth world records in snatch and total and finished second in the Juniors too. “When I looked at the schedule a few weeks ago I told Paul Coffa (continental federation general secretary) that it could be Super Saturday for Oceania, and it is,” said Selemaia’s coach Simon Kent, who is president of the New Zealand Federation. Friday was not so bad either, because Femily Notte from Nauru won medals in the Youth women’s 64kg. Olivia Selemaia (NZL) Henry Elder, Nehemiah’s coach and father, said, “Over the past few years we’ve started to work together a lot more in Oceania, after a period when we had our differences. “There’s a lot of collaboration, plenty of training camps. We smash each other in training and then we’re all mates again. We’re a big family now.” Samoa has a lavish new weightlifting institute and academy, certified by the IWF. Fiji is planning to open a new training centre within two years. “We’ve got so many kids with the physique and explosive power for weightlifting in Fiji, a lot of them on farms,” said Elder. “They’re all drawn to rugby but we want them to come into the greatest sport of all.” Selemaia, who came to weightlifting from CrossFit, is playing her part in promoting the sport. She is one of four national team members who coach weightlifting at schools in Auckland, New Zealand’s capital, as part of the federation’s ‘Lift for Gold’ scheme. That means she is training and coaching full-time. “Her performance today has been coming,” said Kent. “It’s her first year out of school and that’s made a big difference.” Simoneau is unable to go full-time because she is still studying, having recently switched from natural science to industrial engineering. She trains about six times a week, and for extra income she works in her grandparents’ flower shop at weekends when she is not competing. “It’s Mother’s Day in Canada next Sunday so I’m going to be busy,” she said. The Chinese athlete who took bronze was 20-year-old international debutant Wang Menting, who made four good lifts on 101-130-231. Maria Mena from Colombia won snatch silver on 106kg. Lin Jingwei (CHN) Wang’s 17-year-old team-mate Lin Jingwei won the Youths world title in spectacular style. She jumped from 118kg to 131kg on her fifth attempt and made it to claim youth world records in clean and jerk and total. She had failed with a snatch world record attempt and finished 100-131-231, the same total as Wang. Darya Kuznetsova, an Individual Neutral Athlete from Russia, was second in the Youths on 93-117-210 and Kira Danilova from Kazakhstan third on 94-115-209. Both made all six attempts. Dilnura Kholdorova from Uzbekistan won snatch bronze on 93kg and Maryia Ivanova from Belarus, competing as a neutral, won clean and jerk bronze on 115kg. Women’s 76kg Juniors and Youths Ella Nicholson from the United States had to fight to win her second straight Junior world title. Nicholson, 18, was 8kg below her winning total last year but found enough for victory on her last attempt, finishing 106-130-236. Varvara Kuzminova (AIN) The star of the show was Kuzminova, 16, who was entered in Youths and Juniors. She broke the youth snatch world record twice, on 106kg and 108kg, and took the total record too on 108-127-235. She also won snatch gold, plus silver in clean and jerk and total, in the Juniors. Jeon Heesoo from Korea was third in the Juniors on 102-123-225. Bronze medals were won by Nana Khorava from Georgia in snatch on 103kg, and Alexandrina Ciubotaru from Moldova in clean and jerk on 124kg. Stowers took Youths silver despite making only two good lifts on 98-116-214. Third place went to Minni Hormavirta from Finland on 90-117-207. Men 89 Juniors and Youths Goga Jajvani from Georgia was fourth in the 2023 World Youths and in last year’s World Juniors. This time he made the podium in style, winning the Junior title with his final attempt at 198kg. Goga Jajvani (GEO) In a close finish, 19-year-old Jajvani made 162-198-360 ahead of Angel Rodriguez from Venezuela on 164-195-359 and David Cuesta from Colombia on 163-196-359. Ilya Salehipour from Iran won bronze in clean and jerk on 195kg. Elder, 16, was the only youth lifter in the A session. He just failed with a final attempt at 188kg and finished 152-180-332. That was 70kg more than his last total in an IWF competition 14 months ago. “In that time I’ve done a lot of hard training, been to recent camps in Samoa and Australia, and made 142-175 in an invitational competition in Brisbane,” he said. “God’s been with me for constant training and belief. I am home schooled, so I’m pretty much a full-time weightlifter. “I had a lot of nerves here because it’s by far the biggest competition I’ve been to, but I really enjoyed it.” What is his next target? “I’ll just do whatever my coach tells me, like I always do.” Two international debutants were a long way back in second and third. Munisbek Davletov from Uzbekistan made 140-179-319 and 15-year-old Khuthair Qaiti from Iraq made 145-173-318. Andrei Solopii from Russia, competing as a neutral, won snatch bronze. Men 96 Juniors and Youths Junior champion Ahmed Gamal Elbasyouni from Egypt improved his total at last year’s World Juniors by 40kg. He was ninth on 326kg in Spain last September, and first on 166-200-366 today. Ahmed Gamal Elbasyouni (EGY) He has a nervous wait for victory. Hamidreza Zarei from Iran, who won gold in clean and jerk, would have won on total had he made his final attempt on 209kg. He failed and finished fourth on158-203-361. Zarei’s team-mate Amirhosein Sepahmade 165-199-364 in second place. Inhatsi Pauliukavets from Belarus, competing as a neutral, was third on 167-196-363. The Youths winner was Grigor Ghazaryan from Armenia on 145-185-330, well ahead of Yslam Akmyradov from Turkmenistan on 141-175-316. Parv Chaudhary from India was third on 140-175-315. Aleksandr Bagaev from Russia, competing as a neutral, took snatch bronze on 141kg. Seven Russian neutrals have competed in Youth categories so far and all seven have won at least one medal. By Brian Oliver Photos by Giorgio Scala/Deepbluemedia