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IWF congratulates new IOC President-elect Kirsty Coventry

Following the announcement of the election of Mrs Kirsty Coventry at the IOC Session in Olympia (GRE), the IWF sent today a congratulatory letter to the new President-elect. Signed by the IWF President Mohammed Jalood (also present in Greece) and by the IWF General Secretary Antonio Urso, the message highlights the importance and symbolism of this success. “This achievement assumes a special importance, as for the first time in its history, the IOC will be led by a woman, and simultaneously, by a president coming from the African continent. This is an outstanding milestone and a further proof that the principles defended within the Olympic Movement are also put in place for the election of its most prestigious representative,” the letter said. IOC President-elect Mrs Kirsty Coventry and IWF President Mr Mohammed Jalood at the IOC Session in Olympia “Your extraordinary career as a swimmer and your engagement within the IOC in recent years are a testimony of your passion and commitment for Sport. Your footprint at the IOC presidency will certainly emphasise this determination,” also wrote Mr Jalood and Mr Urso. Coventry, representing Zimbabwe during her competitive career, has been a remarkable swimmer, winning seven Olympic medals (including two gold) and being on the podium on 13 occasions at World Championships. Aged 41, she is presently Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation in her country and will take the office as IOC President on June 24, 2025. “We are thrilled to working closely with you and the IOC to strengthen weightlifting’s standing in the Olympic Movement and ensure that, as one of the founding Olympic sports, it continues to make a valuable contribution to engaging people around the world in the Olympic values”, we can also read in the IWF letter. “After the enormous success of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, both for the entirety of the Olympic Movement and for the Weightlifting family, we are actively preparing the 2028 edition in Los Angeles. Under your guidance, we are sure that the IWF will continue providing a great contribution to the Olympic programme,” concluded the IWF message. IWF

IWF120y/38 – 1968: Mohammad Nassiri shines at the highest level for Iran

Iran has a solid tradition of success at the Olympic Games, with a total of 88 medals won so far. Two sports have particularly shone and lead the medal chart: wrestling, with 55 podium presences, followed by weightlifting, with 20. One legend has earned three of them (being the best lifter so far in Iranian history): Mohammad Nassiri. Born in 1945, he first took part in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, where he finished 15th. The three subsequent editions were far more successful for the Iranian lifter: in reality, he then collected a full set of medals, starting with gold at the 1968 Mexico City Games (56kg category: 112.5-105-150-367.5), then silver in Munich 1972 (56kg: 127.5-100-142.5-370), and finally bronze at the Montreal 1976 rendezvous (52kg: 100-135-235). At the World Championships level, he added four titles to his amazing harvest, after victories in 1969, 1970, 1973, and 1974. In 1966 and 1971, he was a bronze medallist at the IWF showcase. Finally, he also shone at the Asian Games, getting three consecutive gold medals in 1966, 1970, and 1974. Nassiri was also prolific in establishing new World Records: over his career, he improved 15 global marks. On a single day, on September 15, 1973, at the Worlds in Havana (CUB), he set four WRs (two in Clean & Jerk and two in Total). His personal bests in international events are: 105kg (Snatch), 128.5kg (Press, WR), 150kg (C&J, WR), 370kg (Total, with 3 events), and 240kg (Total, with 2 events, WR). If Nassiri was the first Olympic champion in weightlifting for his nation, he was not the first lifter with a medal at the Games: this honour belonged to Jafar Salmasi, in 1948, who was the first Iranian (all sports included) on an Olympic podium (bronze in 60kg category).

IWF120y/37 – 1987: Maria Takacs (HUN), 33 world medals (but never the gold…)

In cycling, it’s frequent to mention the name of Raymond Poulidor, the French legend, eight times on the podium of the Tour de France, but never on the highest march – he is known in the sport as the “eternal second”. Weightlifting also has its Poulidor – in our case, it is a woman from Hungary: Maria Takacs. Born in 1966, she started her sports career in athletics (shot putter and discus thrower), but together with her sister Erika, they were initiated into weightlifting by their father Istvan, a coach. They both have brilliant international careers, but Maria’s deserves a special mention: between 1987 (the first edition for women) and 1998, she took part in 12 consecutive World Championships (in the 67.5kg category and then on the 75/76kg) and out of the possible 36 medals at stake, she collects an amazing harvest of 33! With one significant detail: none of them is a golden award… In Total, she earns six silver and six bronze medals, getting another 21 podium presences for the individual events of snatch and clean & jerk. The only three editions she doesn’t get a full collection of medals are 1992 and 1998 (absent from the Snatch podium) and 1993 (in C&J). On those 12 Championships, the (Total) victory in her category was clinched by China on 10 occasions, while Greece and Finland were the remaining winners. Her personal best at the Worlds was her 1997 performance in Chiang Mai (THA), where she got the silver in 100-125-225. Her sister Erika won fewer medals at the IWF showcase but managed to be the world champion in 1995 in the +83kg category. After missing the 2000 Olympic Games (when women’s weightlifting made its debut), Maria (on the left, in the photo - at the 1994 Worlds) retired from the elite competition, but remained active as a successful master lifter. She was the first female athlete to be inducted into the Weightlifting Hall of Fame, in 2006, and is presently a member of the IWF Coaching and Research Committee.

Cyrille Tchatchet: first lifter to sign the IOC Olympian Wall

Cyrille Tchatchet became today the first weightlifter to sign the prestigious Olympian Wall at the IOC Headquarters in Lausanne (SUI), a ceremony that coincided with his participation in the WADA Athlete Council meeting and WADA Symposium. With around 700 signatures from Olympians from all continents and Sports, the IOC Wall’s goal is to pay tribute to all those who make the value and create emotions at the Games. “I am very honoured and pleased to be here. I didn’t expect such a nice ceremony and attention. It’s a great initiative and I am naturally glad to have my name on it. The Games are a great experience for all athletes and the International Olympic Committee wants to preserve that spirit and heritage,” commented Tchatchet. Olympian at the Tokyo 2020ne Games as a member of the Olympic Refugee Team, the Cameroon-native lifter (presently living in England and holder of a British passport) also enjoyed a tour of the Olympic House in Lausanne. “It is an impressive building, very modern and functional. Its location next to the lake also makes it special,” noted Tchatchet after taking a photo next to the statue of Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, at the entry of the IOC headquarters. Cyrille Tchatchet was elected last December to the World Anti-Doping Agency Athlete Council and came to Lausanne to attend the first meeting of that body in 2025. In this quality, he is attending the WADA Symposium, being held today and tomorrow in the Olympic capital. Also an IWF Athlete Commission Member, Tchatchet recently re-started training with one objective: to take part in the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. In a recent interview with the IWF, he highlighted the importance of this competition: “My goal is to compete at the 2026 Commonwealth Games and earn a medal there. As they are also in Glasgow, it would be a good way to close somehow the circle since 2014”. Explanation: the 2014 edition marked a turning point in Tchatchet’s life. Competing for Cameroon, he never returns home and seeks asylum in England. The rest is history.   After the IOC ceremony, Tchatchet also enjoyed a visit to the IWF headquarters. “I finally know from where all the hard work is done – it’s nice to see you have so many photos of weightlifters on the walls. You need to put mine…” he concluded, smiling. Pedro AdregaIWF

IWF120y/36 – 1952: Tommy Kono (USA) wins his first Olympic gold

Tamio “Tommy” Kono is today considered one of the greatest weightlifters in history, but we can say his ascension to fame was basically due to hazardous circumstances. He was born in Sacramento (California, USA) to Japanese descent parents in 1930. When he was 12, the US government decided during World War II that his family (like many other Japanese-American ones in the country) should be relocated to an internment camp. Suffering from asthma, the location of the camp – in the Californian desert – helped him recover from this condition. Moreover, he discovers weightlifting inside the camp and starts training there with other relocated friends. It is evident that the young champion-to-be has a talent for the sport, and after being liberated from the camp at the end of the world conflict, he is some years later enrolled in the US Army. In 1950, his destiny could have been the Korean War, but it was decided to keep him in the country, as his Olympic potential was already notorious. The decision proved wise, as he went on to earn the gold medal (67.5kg category: 105-117.5-140-362.5) at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, followed by a second title four years later in Melbourne 1956 (82.5kg: 140-132.5-175-447.5). At the Rome 1960 Games, he still gets a silver medal in the 75kg bodyweight category (140-127.5-160-427.5). In parallel, he is a six-time world champion, from 1953 to 1959. Finally, he also won three Pan-American titles (1955, 1959, and 1963) and established 22 World Records throughout his amazing career! Also a bodybuilder, he is elected Mr Universe on four occasions – 1954, 1955, 1957, and 1961. After his retirement, he became a coach, namely heading the US team to the 1976 Games in Montreal. Based in Honolulu, Hawaii, since 1955, Tommy Kono died there in April 2016, a couple of months before completing his 86th

IWF120y/35 – 1969: European Federation sees the day in Warsaw (POL)

The first decades in the life of the International Weightlifting Federation were essentially dominated by the influence of European countries: nations from the Old Continent founded the IWF and the first 25 editions of the recognised World Championships were all staged in Europe. The city of Philadelphia, in the United States, was the first one to “break” this hegemony, in 1947. Despite this dominance, most European activities were done within the frame of the International Federation – Pan-Americas and Asia took their “independence” earlier, having found their continental bodies in 1951 and 1958, respectively. But, some months before the organisation of the World Championships in Warsaw (POL) in 1969 – the global showcase was also “integrating” the European Championships – a letter signed by nine European federations had been sent to all members in the Old Continent urging for the necessity to create a continental body. In September – when the event was staged in the Polish capital – those “seeds” had grown and delegates from 19 European nations unanimously approved the creation of the European Weightlifting Federation (EWF). The first president of the organisation was Janusz Przedpelski (POL), who remained at the helm of the EWF until 1983. Five years later, in 1988, the initial Women’s European showcase took place in San Marino, and in 1990 the continental body decided to “separate” the European Championships from other events, thus making it the annual highlight of a complete European calendar of competitions. The EWF presently has 46 national members (plus four additional associate federations, whose territories have no National Olympic