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Riyadh, Day 6: C Group teenager saves Asia’s 100% record at IWF World Championships

The Thai teenager Weeraphon Wichuma caused a sensation at the IWF World Championships by setting a junior world record and winning gold by a wide margin from the C Group in the men’s 73kg Olympic category. It is the first time a C Group lifter has ever won gold at a major competition. Wichuma, who won youth and junior world titles in the past two years, added his first senior success by posting 24kg more than his entry total with a five-from-six 154-195-349, more than seven hours before the A Group lifters went into action. Weeraphon Wichuma (THA) There were more than 60 red lights and six bombouts in the B and A Groups that followed, and as one prospective challenge after another petered out, 19-year-old Wichuma was left clear, winning by 12kg. He watched the A session on the big screen in the warm-up room while helping his team-mate Jeeram Suttipong, who made only one good lift. “It was so exciting, I feel so proud,” Wichuma said on the stage after being presented with his medal. Wei Yinting from China was second despite making only two good lifts on 157-180-337, and Muhammad Ozbek from Turkey third on 147-187-334. Bak Joohyo from Korea, who snatched 143kg, won clean and jerk silver ahead of Ozbek, both on 187kg. Wei Yinting (CHN) Wichuma’s remarkable victory maintained Asia’s 100% winning record after eight medal events in Riyadh, and continued the success of lifters whose entry totals were not high enough for a place in the A Group. Five medals have been won by C Group athletes, three medallists came from the B Group, and the Madagascar lifter Tojo Andriantsitohaina was 1kg away from winning the snatch bronze tonight from the D Group. Wichuma’s previous best total was 342kg, made last time out when he was second by 2kg to Masanori Miyamoto from Japan, who was 19kg behind the Thai here. His final effort at 195kg took the clean and jerk junior world record from Rizki Juniansyah, the Indonesian who weighed in but withdrew because of an abdominal injury. Rizki’s team-mate Rahmat Erwin, who leads the Olympic rankings, lifts in the 81kg category, as does Olympic champion Shi Zhiyong from China, who is returning from injury. Muhammad Ozbek (TUR) China’s Wei was one lift and a few centimetres away from a bombout, but he rescued his final snatch right on the edge of the platform and on 157kg he looked capable of catching Wichuma. But he missed his first two clean and jerks and finished 12kg behind. Ritvars Suharevs from Latvia made his first two snatches, taking bronze on 154kg, then missed all three clean and jerks. Only three athletes made a total in the B Group, and arguably the happiest of them was Luis Javier Mosquera from Colombia, who had not competed for 15 months because of hand, adductor and shoulder injuries. He failed with his first two clean and jerks but made the third for 150-175-325. “I’m happy with that because I’ve only been training for a month,” said the Tokyo 67kg silver medallist. Mosquera will go to the Pan American Games in Chile before continuing his Paris qualifying effort in Qatar in the IWF Grand Prix II in December. By Brian Oliver, Inside the Games Photos by Giorgio

IWF/ITA Anti-Doping Education Seminar: the importance of making the right choice

More than 85 athletes and respective support personnel were today present at the IWF/ITA Anti-Doping Education Seminar, organised in Riyadh on the occasion of the IWF World Championships in Saudi Arabia. It was a privileged opportunity for many lifters and their entourage to acquire updated information about the anti-doping activities carried out by the International Testing Agency on behalf of our International Federation. The seminar was lectured by Christine Girard (CAN), ITA Ambassador, and double Olympic medallist in weightlifting. Antonio Urso, the IWF Secretary General, welcomed the participants to the meeting.   “Our International Federation is undertaking a huge transformation and this relates to the culture change that is needed in the field of doping. We had serious problems in the past, but we have changed the paradigm and today, thanks to the collaboration and partnership with the ITA we have a solid, transparent, and reliable strategy,” Mr Urso considered.   Antonio Urso, IWF Secretary General The IWF official recalled one decisive area of improvement: “The level of education has dramatically increased and this is the best guarantee for a successful programme. The main problem with doping is the athletes’ entourage. If ethics is missing, this support personnel will oblige the athlete to cheat. We need to change this, and we are doing it!”   Mr Urso was very clear on IWF’s determination to eradicate doping in sport: “We don’t want cheaters in our Sport! We may lose some countries, punished by our strict rules, but if this is necessary, so be it! We want to keep only the people working honestly, with professionalism, and with a real sense of ethics. We are spending more than one-third of our annual budget on anti-doping operations. We could spend part of this money on development actions – it would be much more useful for so many countries. But, as we are 100% committed to ensuring a clean sport, this effort is still necessary”.   Christine Girard then briefed all the attendees on the specificities of the anti-doping policies, namely the definition and scope of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation, the knowledge of the Prohibited Substances’ list, the correct identification of eventual medication taken by the athletes, and the risks related with the intake of supplements.   Christine Girard, ITA Ambassador “Unlike the medicaments, the labelling of supplements is not so strict, so you’ll never have the guarantee that the intake of supplements is risk-free. You must all be aware of that. There isn’t in the market a single supplement that is 100% safe!” she explained.   Besides the unethical aspect of doping, Ms Girard explained that the ingestion of prohibited substances “represents a huge danger to the athlete’s health. And in most of the cases, the consequences are irreversible, they will stay for all your life. You should never forget this!”   Born in January 1985, Christine Girard was one of the most talented Canadian lifters of her generation. She started in the sport when she was 10, much because of her sister’s influence. She progressed quickly and at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, she was fourth in the 63kg – four years later in London, she did better, with a bronze medal in the same category.     Things could have ended there, but some years later, with the re-analysis of Olympic samples and consequent disqualification of several lifters, she was “upgraded” to the bronze for the 2008 Games and to the gold for the British rendezvous. “When the news came out in 2018, I had already my children, we were at home in Canada, and the new medals came. Of course, it was a great joy for me, but I had missed the ‘moment’ during the Games’ time. In London, had I won the gold while being there, I would have been the only Canadian with that status for three days. Imagine the marketing opportunities I lost on that occasion…”   After these unfortunate circumstances, Girard decided to get involved in anti-doping education. A way, according to the Olympic champion, to “prevent that a similar situation to mine could occur with others”. Named ITA Ambassador on this field, the Canadian, also a member of the IWF Anti-Doping Commission, wanted to “actively promote clean sport. It’s a beautiful fight, one that is definitively worth doing for all our athletes”.   At the Tokyo 2020ne Games, when her compatriot Maude Charron took the gold in the same category and with the same total (236kg) as Girard eight years before, the ITA Ambassador lived a rare moment of emotion: “I was very happy that she could enjoy her title, her gold medal there! I was already involved in the fight for a clean sport, so I thought that the efforts were paying off. All the athletes competing there, in Japan, looked in a much better health condition compared with the ones I had to face. That was definitively a sign that things were going in the right direction”.     Commenting on the words of Mr Urso concerning the “culture change” within the IWF circles, Girard admits: “It takes time, but we improved a lot! We arrived at a point where many coaches did not know how to prepare their athletes without doping. They had to learn everything from the beginning – results only come with hard work, not with ‘magic’ pills”.   Reflecting on the risks to the athletes’ health, the Canadian concedes that many “athletes are not aware of those very negative consequences. We need to educate them for this aspect so that they don’t regret their bad choices at a later stage of their lives”.    After this seminar, also attended by the CEO of the Saudi Arabian Andi-Doping Committee Mr Khudair Mohammad Alkhudhair, athletes and their entourage are invited to visit until September 11 the IWF/ITA Anti-Doping Education booth, located in the Fan Zone of the Championships. Christine Girard will run the stand and provide all relevant information to participants seeking further knowledge on this matter.   By Pedro Adrega, IWF Communications   Photos by Giorgio

Riyadh, Day 5: Photo Gallery

All photos by Giorgio Scala/Deepbluemedia [gallery size="large"

The two “hats” of Hidilyn Diaz (PHI)

Firstly, there is the athlete. An immense star of weightlifting and a hero in her country, the Philippines. Born in February 1991, Hidilyn Diaz started her international career with a 10th place at the 2008 Olympic Games. Since then, she was also present in London 2012, in Rio 2016 (where she was a silver medallist), and finally at the Tokyo 2020ne rendezvous – gold in the 55kg, with a total of 224kg. With the change in the Olympic categories – the 55kg is now replaced by the 59kg, Diaz had to adapt to this new reality, but we can say that she is quite successful for the time being.   After a first 59kg appearance at the 2023 Asian Championships – where she was fourth, with 221kg, her best coming to Riyadh in the Olympic Qualification Ranking – the Philippines’ champion did better in Saudi Arabia, on the fifth day of the IWF World Championships. She was only seventh, but with a higher total of 97-127-224. This means that Diaz continues in the top-10 of the Olympic ranking and has legitimate hopes of competing at her fifth Games, next year in the French capital.   “I messed up in the snatch. I could have reached an even better result, but things didn’t go as well as I wanted. I was perhaps overwhelmed by this new category for me… and I inevitably got a bit nervous at the beginning of the competition. Then, things went better towards the end,” confessed a smiling Diaz at the end of her performance. “But OK, I know I have plenty of room for improvement in the upcoming competitions. I am hopeful that I can get close to 230kg”.   And her optimism is contagious: “I tell you more – I want to win the gold in Paris!” In view of that, the preparation of her “body, muscles and strength” for the new category has been a “challenge. I got injured, I had some problems, and I even questioned myself if I could do it. I have doubts, but I am definitively happy that I took the decision to continue,” admits the 2022 world champion in the 55kg category. “But I have the ambition to win the Olympics one more time – that is what motivates me on a daily basis. You need to be ambitious – and I am ambitious!”   Then, there is the “other side”, the second "hat" of Hidilyn Diaz. Elected to the IWF Athletes Commission, she is also a member of the Executive Board, with full voting rights. More recently, she has been part of the working group in charge of creating the 2024-2032 IWF Strategic Plan, a document to be approved by the IWF Congress this Tuesday in Riyadh.   “Yes, sometimes this is more difficult than competing. I am really happy to be involved in the life and decision-making process of the IWF. It’s sometimes a huge responsibility, but a good one. But I chose this way, and my fellow athletes chose me to represent them. It’s a big honour for me,” she says. “Together with the other members of the Athletes Commission, I believe we brought positive changes to the IWF”.   Asked about the importance of these new developments, Diaz doesn’t hesitate: “Having athletes on the Board, making proposals, joining the discussions, and voting on relevant matters for the life of our Federation is a huge step forward. Moreover, being involved more recently in the elaboration of a strategic document for the IWF allowed me to share my ideas on how to progress in the long term, how to build up our brand, to engage more with our athletes and fans… All this is quite important for us. Finally, don’t forget I am a woman – I represent women’s weightlifting and I have a say in the development of our sport. This is fundamental for me!”   On her expectation concerning the changes caused by the new Strategic Plan, Diaz is clear: “It points out a direction. The new path the IWF must follow in order to succeed – in good governance, in gender equity… in so many other fields. This is a decisive step forward in the life of the IWF and its athletes. It is our duty to accomplish this mission and I am sure we will make it work!”     By Pedro Adrega, IWF Communications   Photos by Giorgio

Riyadh, Day 5: Luo puts last year’s failure behind her to give China another world title

China’s national anthem was played for the fourth time in four days after Luo Shifang put the disappointment of last year behind her to win a sweep of golds in an exciting women’s 59kg contest at the IWF World Championships in Riyadh. At the 2022 World Championships in Bogotá last December, this was the only women’s Olympic category in which China failed to win a medal on total. Luo Shifang and Luo Xiaomin finished fourth and fifth. This time Luo Xiaomin was replaced by 18-year-old Pei Xinyi, a multiple junior and youth world record holder who won at the non-Olympic weight of 64kg in Bogotá. Pei finished third here on 102-130-232 behind Luo Shifang, who made a six-from-six 107-136-243, and the Ukrainian European champion Kamila Konotop on 106-130-236. Luo Shifang (CHN) Olympic champion Kuo Hsing-Chun from Chinese Taipei lifted in the C Group yesterday and still won a medal, the clean and jerk silver on 130kg, the same number as third-placed Konotop and Pei. Kuo was fourth on total on 231kg, ahead of last year’s winner Yenny Alvarez from Colombia, who made 100-129-229. Another C Group lifter, Rafiatu Lawal from Nigeria, was sixth with a total of 225kg. Asia is the dominant force in weightlifting so was Luo surprised to see so many contenders from Europe, South America, Africa and the United States – Taylor Wilkins was 10th on 220kg – on the scoreboard? “Yes I was a little bit surprised” replied Luo, 22. “But I am confident that I can maintain my dominance. “I am proud of my performance, and very happy that I didn’t let anybody down, that everything went to plan. “You will feel different things on different stages but the main thing that kept me going since last year was the knowledge that I am still young, still improving, gaining in experience and in confidence.” Hidilyn Diaz, the Olympic champion at 55kg who had to move up when that category was dropped for Paris, showed improvement on only her second appearance at 59kg. After winning the world title at 55kg last year Diaz had found the jump in weight difficult to cope with when she made 221kg in finishing fourth at the Asian Championships in Korea in May. Here she improved that total by 3kg and edged ahead of her Philippines team-mate Elreen Ando with a successful final clean and jerk of 127kg. Kuo made 236kg in Tokyo to finish well clear of her rivals. Polina Guryeva won silver for Turkmenistan with 217kg and Mikiko Ando from Japan took bronze on 214kg.   Kamila Konotop (UKR) When the rankings are updated a few days after the World Championships finish, 217kg and 214kg will be well down the list. Ando totalled 216kg in Riyadh, better than her Tokyo medal-winning effort but good enough only for 13th place here. The standard in this class has gone way up, and far bigger numbers will be needed for a place on the podium in Paris. Tom Goegebuer, triple Olympian coach of ninth-placed Nina Sterckx and president of the Belgian Weightlifting Federation, said, “Qualifying for the Olympic Games is harder than lifting at the Olympic Games.” The versatile Sterckx made a career-best five-from-six 99-121-220 and is now ranked in the top 10 at both 49kg and 59kg. “It’s the same in the 49s,” said Gorgebuer. “It’s harder to qualify because there are fewer Olympic places available than last time, not so many weight classes, and people take more risks.” Pei Xinyi (CHN) Those risks are paying off enough times for the top 20 to be a far higher standard than before. “If the qualifying system was the same as last time, three periods and an average from the three best results in those periods, Nina would not be going for these numbers.” There was another sea of red in the B Group, in which none of the 11 athletes managed to better the top three in the C Group – Kuo, Lawal and her Nigeria team-mate Adijat Olarinoye. Madagascar finished off its most successful World Championships to date when Tojo Andriatsitohaina made a huge jump in the Olympic rankings in the men’s 73kg D Group, from 35th place to 12th. Like his three team-mates “Tojo”, as Andriatsitohaina is known, made a big improvement to his career-best total, finishing 153-178-331. He had never competed before at this weight in an IWF competition, having posted his previous qualifying best of 300kg at 67kg. A 153kg snatch won bronze in last year’s IWF World Championships and if things go his way in the other sessions on Saturday, Tojo might win make the podium from the D Group. That would be a fourth medal for the team. Rosina Randafiarison had a sweep of silvers in the women’s 45kg, the best performance at a World Championships in any Olympic sport by a Malagasy athlete. All four team members in Riyadh won a sweep of golds at the Indian Ocean Island Games in their home nation less than two weeks ago, two of them with bigger totals than they made here. And all four prepared for their Island Games-World Championships double header by working hard at a four-month training camp in China. Madagascar has been sending dozens of athletes from five sports to training camps in China since 2017 – disrupted for a couple of years by Covid - and the results are clearly paying off. “What we learned most while we were there was discipline,” said Tojo’s brother Eric, who has turned to coaching after his career was ended by injury. “Everybody has benefited from the training camp, and the rest of the world should take notice and start worrying about Madagascar. Here we come.” By Brian Oliver, Inside the Games Photos by Giorgio

Riyadh, Day 4: Photo Gallery

All photos by Giorgio Scala/Deepbluemedia [gallery size="large"