News

Straltsou sees off Kazakhstan pair, and Xiang runs to a clean sweep

By Brian Oliver at the George R Brown Convention Center The great Ilya Ilyin declined to compete at the 2015 IWF World Championships as he prepares for the Olympic Games next summer, but one of his training partners was expected to win the 94kg title, at which weight Ilyin won Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012. The Kazakhstan pair Almas Uteshov and defending champion Zhassulan Kydyrbayev, who have been training with Ilyin, both entered a 405kg total but they finished second and third, beaten by Vadzim Sraltsou of Belarus. “Ilya was watching on television and we will call him later,” said Uteshov, a former wrestler who came desperately close to victory. He was originally given his second snatch attempt of 180kg but the decision was overturned. If it had stood he would have had a total of 410kg. Straltsou won with 405kg. “My coaches will review that on video,” he said. “I think the jury said my left elbow was not locked but I’m not sure.” Straltsou was only sixth in the snatch but he made 230kg in clean & jerk. In the snatch seven lifters collectively made 13 attempts at 180kg or more and only two were successful. In the clean & jerk there were seven attempts at 230kg or better, and only two successes. Straltsou, a 2006 junior world champion, said he had suffered elbow and knee injuries in the build-up to these Championships. “It was a long wait for this,” he said. “I am very happy.” China’s Liu Hao failed with his fist five lifts and became the fourth Chinese male lifter to fail to register a total. That will affect their chances of sending a full men’s team of six to the Olympics. There was, once more, better news for China in the women’s medal event. Xiang Yanmei had to go for a run to make the weight, then won a clean sweep of golds in the 69kg. “At my first weigh-in I was 69.1kg, so I went for a run and kept running until I burned it off,” said Xiang, who eventually weighed in right on the mark at 69.0kg. She won with two lifts to spare from Zhazira Zhapparkul, of Kazakhstan, and Russia’s Anastasia Romanova. “I had not been training very well before the Championships so I’m very pleased with that,” said Xiang, 23, the 2013 world champion and reigning Asian Games champion. Zhapparkul had hoped for better – “I wanted a clean & jerk of 147-150” – and her 116-140-256 left her 7kg behind Xiang. Zhapparkul’s Kazakh teammate Maiya Maneza, who is expected to drop back to 63kg to defend her Olympic title next summer, made only 100kg in the snatch but an impressive 135kg in the clean & jerk. There were good performances from two 17-year-olds. Sara Ahmed, of Egypt, made a 245kg total and Ankhtsetseg Munkhjantsan, of Mongolia, made 243kg. PR Korea’s Ryo Un Hui, second in the snatch, had not been able to train properly because of an abdominal

Okulov leads way for Russia, and Deng wins again

By Brian Oliver at the George R Brown Convention Center, Houston, Texas There was good news and bad for China, while Russia won gold, silver and bronze for total in the two medal events on day six of the 2015 IWF World Championships. Artem Okulov, junior world champion in 2013 and 2014, won the men’s 85kg when Kianoush Rostami, of Iran, failed with his last two lifts. Okulov’s long-time friend and training partner, Apti Aukhadov, was third. Tian Tao of China won the snatch but then failed with all three clean & jerks. After similar failures to register a total by Long Qingquan (56kg) and Lu Xiaojun (77kg) it could have an impact on China’s qualification places for the Olympic Games next summer. There was much better news for China when Deng Wei had a clean sweep in the women’s 63kg, with a clean & jerk world record of 146kg. She was in great form after failing with her first snatch, making four straight lifts and passing on her final attempt after hobbling off the stage with a minor leg injury. Deng, 22, had 113kg in the snatch to finish ahead of Tima Turieva. The Russian failed with her last two clean & jerk attempts at 141kg but still took silver overall, with PR Korea’s Choe Hyo Sim in third place. The 1-2-3 finishing order was identical to last year’s World Championships in Almaty, and for the second straight year Choe won a bronze despite finishing only eighth in the snatch. “I didn’t come here to finish second again, I wanted gold,” said Turieva. “But I didn’t get properly acclimatised, I was still feeling the jetlag. I tried my best but it was not enough.” Great Britain had two lifters in the A Group. Zoe Smith, the Commonwealth Games 58kg champion, did better than Rebekah Tiler, finishing ninth. But Tiler is only 16 and clearly has a bright future. The biggest drama of the day came at the end of the men’s 85kg. Rostami needed his lift of 218kg to overtake Okulov and he made it, only to lose the bar backwards. “Only god didn’t want it,” he said later. He added another kilo to go for a world record and the gold, but accidentally touched his knee with his elbow. Okulov, 21, almost lost his balance on his final attempt at 215kg but recovered

Six different medallists and a big surprise in men’s 77kg

By Brian Oliver at the George R Brown Convention Center, Houston, Texas Six different nationalities were represented in the medal ceremony for a remarkable men’s 77kg. The world record holder failed to make a total, a Kazakhstan athlete who was once a flag-bearer for Azerbaijan won, an Egyptian who moved up from 69kg only six months ago finished third, and a lifter from the B Group was on the podium. Lu Xiaojun from Chjina, the Olympic and Asian Games champion who set the snatch and total world records in the 2013 IWF World Championships, looked set for victory when he took the snatch gold with 175kg. He missed a world record attempt at 177kg, then failed with all three clean & jerks at 201kg. He complained later of a knee injury. Kim Kwang Song, of PR Korea, second in the snatch, also failed in his first attempt at 201kg but when he made it with his final lift he went into the lead. Only Nijat Rahimov, with two lifts to come, could beat him and to do so he would have to go up 12kg from 195 to 207. Amazingly, he did it with his first try, and even had a go at the world record on 211kg, which he failed. “I was very surprised,” said Kim. “I was expecting just to compete against China. I have never been in a competition with so many rivals and I offer my congratulations to the winner.” Rahimov, who won on body weight on 372kg, had carried the flag for Azerbaijan at the 2013 Universiade. He had a falling-out with Azerbaijan’s coaches and switched nationality in the summer. “I moved because the coaching in Kazakhstan is better,” he said. The bronze went to Mohamed Ihab of Egypt, who also deserved a gold medal for best celebration of the week. He screamed, jumped, clapped his hands and kissed the floor when he made his third clean & jerk at 201kg – cheered all the while by a large and appreciative crowd. He then watched his rivals fail with lifts and danced around the warm-up room when he was sure of a medal. Ihab moved up from 69kg only six months ago and said afterwards, “I kept saying to my coach in training 200, 200 I can do it. But he said no, wait for competition. I wanted to compete in the African Championship and again he said no, you can win a medal in the World Championships. “I had one chance. The coach told me ‘Now, this time, go!’ My blood was hot and I did it. I am so happy, my mother is so happy.” Ihab set national, African and Arabic records for snatch, clean & jerk and total. There was a silver medal for a B Group lifter in the clean & jerk. Elkhan Aligulizada, of Azerbaijan, came from the audience on to the podium when only Rahimov beat his 203kg. The Armenian teenager Andranik Karapetyan took snatch

Two more world records as Kostova and ’the new Shi’ take the honours

By Brian Oliver at the George R Brown Convention Center, Houston, Texas Another day, another two  world records at the 2015 IWF World Championships. Boyanka Kostova, the Bulgarian who became an Azerbaijani in 2010, set a snatch world best with her third lift and bettered the mark for the total with her final lift in the women’s 58kg. With two kilos more on that third clean & jerk she would have had a clean sweep of world bests on the day but it is within her sights. “I will try my best to do it in Rio de Janeiro,” she said, looking ahead to next summer’s Olympic Games. In an exciting men’s 69kg the “new” Shi Zhiyong followed in the footsteps of the original by taking gold for China. The 22-year-old was renamed by his coach, when he was a boy, after the 2004 62kg Olympic champion Shi Zhiyong, who is now 35. “It means wisdom and courage,” said Shi. “I was still young when my coach gave me the name and I did not know about the 2004 Olympics. As I grew up I learned all about Shi Zhiyong and I am proud to say we have met since.” Kostova was in imperious form. She led China’s Deng Mengrong by 4kg after her record-breaking snatch of 112kg, and extended her lead in the clean & jerk. She missed her first attempt at 140kg but had another chance and made it for a total of 252kg. The Azerbaijan state pays huge rewards to its gold medallists. Last summer, any athlete who won gold in the European Games earned about $100,000, and a delighted Kostova said, “We are very well supported by the government when we win.” Deng offered her congratulations to Kostova and said, “I will just have to train harder now.” Kuo Hsing-Chun, of Taipei, finished 15kg behind Kostova for the bronze medal on total and Sukanya Srisurat, of Thailand, took bronze in the snatch. In the men’s event Oleg Chen, of Russia, who was 27 on Sunday, was beaten by Shi but not disappointed. “I had knee surgery recently and I lifted more than I have ever done, even in training, so I am very pleased with the result,” said Chen, who was 160-184-344. Turkey’s Daniyar Ismayilov, 23, was third. “A very good result for me and I am looking forward to training hard and doing my best at the Olympics,” he said. The minor medals in the clean & jerk, which was won by Shi, went to Azerbaijan’s Firidun Guliyev and PR Korea’s Kim Myong

Chen takes Kim’s title – and his world record

By Brian Oliver at the George R Brown Convention Center, Houston, Texas Two more world records fell as athletes from China and North Korea gave the crowd at the 2015 IWF World Championships a spectacular session of sport for the second straight day. On Saturday, records fell in the 56kg when Om Yun Chol of PR Korea claimed victory over Wu Jingbiao. On Sunday the star was China’s Chen Lijun, who set a double world record in the 62kg to dethrone Kim Un Guk. Chen was assured of the gold medal with a lift to spare when Kim failed to make 179kg in the clean & jerk. Kim, the 2012 Olympic and 2014 world champion, finished 4kg short of his world record with a total of 328kg. Chen, 22, who had beaten Kim in the 2013 IWF World Championships, went for a final attempt at 183kg. He made it to set a world best for clean & jerk and, on 333kg, total. “I give him my special congratulations,” said a gracious Kim, 27, afterwards. Chen said he had felt confident and “it would be my dream” to break the record again at the Olympic Games next summer. Both men vowed to train even harder but it may not be a head-to-head contest. Valentin Hristov, of Azerbaijan, finished third in the snatch, clean & jerk and total, and believes he can close on the top two. In the women’s 53kg Hsu Shu-Ching, of Taipei, won gold with her final lift, relegating China’s Chen Xiaoting to second place. Hidilyn Diaz, of the Philippines, took bronze in the snatch, the clean & jerk and the total. The Chinese lifter led by 5kg after the snatch and after missing her first two attempts at 120kg in the clean & jerk she looked in trouble. But Chen made her third attempt and Hsu, who holds the 233kg world record for total, had to lift 125kg to win on body weight. She made it, to the delight of a noisy band of flag-waving Taipei fans in the audience. “My form has not been very good this year and I would like to say thank you for that support from the Chinese Taipei community here,” said Hsu. Last year’s winner Zulfiya Chinshanlo – who finished well ahead of Hsu in Almaty - did not defend her title and her fellow Kazakh Margarita Yelisseyeva moved up from 48kg to take her place. Yelisseyeva, who made her first five lifts, looked very pleased with a total of 202kg. There were more good performances from Sopita Tanasan of Thailand, who finished fourth on total for the second straight year, and two teenagers. Rattanaphon Pakkaratha, 18, also from Thailand, posted 89-116-205 and the 17-year-old Latvian Rebeka Koha made her first five lifts to register

Om’s a “Phenom” again – and so is teenager Jiang

Om Yun Chol won his third straight world title, broke a world record in the process, then promised to defend his Olympic crown next summer. The PR Korea flag was raised after Om won the 56kg on body weight from Wu Jingbiao, of China, who also broke a world record. The Chinese flag was hoisted a couple of hours later when 17-year-old Jiang Huihua won the women’s 48kg, the second medal event of the day. “I am going to win gold every time I compete until I finish my career in weightlifting,” a smiling Om said after giving Wu – “my best friend in weightlifting” - a hug at the post-event press conference. “When my rival runs towards a gold medal, I fly.” Om had to break his own clean & jerk world record to overtake Wu, who had beaten Halil Mutlu’s 14-year-old snatch world record. In a dramatic finale to a compelling competition Om then went for a clean & jerk of 175kg, which would have taken him past Mutlu’s world record total of 305kg, set in 2000. He cleaned it but failed to complete the lift. Maybe next time... Kim Tuan Thach, the Vietnamese who lost on bodyweight to Om at the 2014 IWF World Championships in Kazakhstan, was third overall on 287kg, 15kg behind the top two. After two failures in the snatch he was never in contention for gold but at least he had something to look forward to. “I’ve had to eat very small portions for a long time,” he said. “Now I’m going to find a Vietnamese restaurant in Houston and I won’t have to worry about what I eat.” When Wu, the favourite, was beaten by Om in the Olympic Games in London he said afterwards that had “shamed the motherland”. He did not know it at the time but there was no shame in losing to “Om the Phenom” as he became known. Wu was determined to gain revenge this year, with the next Olympiad less than 10 months away. All the other nine lifters had finished before Wu made his first snatch attempt at 135kg, only 3kg lower than Mutlu’s long-standing world record. He failed, but made his second attempt. The target for his final attempt then went from 136 to 138 before he opted to go for the record at 139. Wu made the lift, screamed with delight, pumped his fists and made a sweeping bow to the cheering crowd. He broke a world record, led Om by 8kg and made his first two clean & jerks, but still it was not enough. Om had to beat his own world record by 1kg to gain the lead and he did it, lifting 171kg. Yet again, he lifted three times his own body weight. After his narrow failure at 175kg Om ran around the stage with the DPR Korea flag. Long Qingquan, the Beijing 2008 Olympic champion and another of China’s multiple medal winners, failed to make a lift in the snatch and withdrew from the clean & jerk. Arli Chontey of Kazakhstan won the snatch silver with 132kg and Nestor Colonia of the Philippines (158kg) took clean & jerk bronze. In the women’s 48kg three of the top four in the world rankings, before competition, were Chinese. The best of them is Jiang, whose 95-113-208 in her national championships this year made her the clear favourite. In Houston she made “only” 88kg in the snatch but that put her well clear. The two PR Korea lifters, Ryang Chung Hwa and Ri Song Gum, did not do well in the snatch, in which all 12 lifters failed with their third attempts. Ri won the clean & jerk gold on body weight from Jiang, with 110kg, but it was not enough for a medal on total. Thi Huyen Vuong of Vietnam took silver on 194kg, behind Jiang by 4kg. Bronze was won by Japan’s Hiromi Miyake (193kg), 30, who is aiming for her fourth Olympic Games next year. “When I was 17 I was competing at 53kg and I was far away from a medal,” said Miyake at the press conference, looking to Jiang on her right. “This was a special performance by the girl sitting next to