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IWF Anti-Doping Seminar: combining Competition and Education in Phuket

Athletes and support personnel taking part in the IWF World Cup in Phuket (THA) gathered today in the IWF Anti-Doping Seminar, the first of its kind in 2024, but a customary initiative of our International Federation at its main events. Organised in collaboration with the ITA (International Testing Agency), IWF’s partner in all anti-doping activities, the meeting was attended by around 60 participants, who were welcomed by IWF General Secretary Antonio Urso, IWF First Vice-President Ursula Papandrea and IWF CEO Achilleas Tsogas. The Seminar was lectured by Christine Girard, from Canada, an ITA Ambassador and double Olympic medallist in weightlifting, and was also attended by a delegation of Thailand’s National Anti-Doping agency. “It is always with mixed feelings that I have the pleasure to meet all of you. I am happy because I see there is a real desire to be informed and briefed on such an important topic, but at the same time a bit unhappy, as all the resources we are allocating to this cause could be perhaps used in other areas, such as development or training science,” confessed Antonio Urso, when addressing to the attendees of the Seminar. “The reality is that there is a real culture of change at the IWF and the very fruitful co-operation with the ITA allows us to be in a much better situation than in past years,” also considered the IWF General Secretary. Antonio Urso, IWF General Secretary, opening the Seminar Christine Girard then proceeded with her presentation, focused on important points such as the definition of an anti-doping rule violation, the principle of strict athlete liability when it comes to the presence of prohibited substances in their bodies, the use of medication and supplements, and the reporting procedures. “Together, we must use all the tools that are available to eradicate doping from sport. It starts by being informed and then by respecting and abiding by all the established protocols that are in place,” explained the ITA Ambassador. Christine Girard during her presentation Having competed at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, respectively in Beijing (CHN) and London (GBR), Girard was given two medals (bronze and gold, respectively) from those events only in 2018, after a relocation of awards due to subsequent doping cases. “I was myself a victim of other athletes getting doped while competing. When I received my ‘correct’ medals, many years after I stopped competing, it wasn’t the same. The momentum had passed and all the privileges I could have had in 2008 or 2012 were not available any longer…”   At the end of the seminar, it was reminded to all participants that those qualifying for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris should mandatorily follow an ADEL course on anti-doping education. In the meantime, a booth will be available at the competition venue in Phuket (THA) during the next two days. Athletes and coaches are welcome to pass by and ask for additional information to Christine Girard and to Melody Exhenry, the IWF Anti-Doping manager. IWF Communications Photos by Giorgio

Phuket, Day 3: Photo Gallery

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Phuket, Day 3: Hampton Morris ends USA’s 55-year wait on day of four world records 

Hampton Morris from the United States made a huge final lift to take the 61kg clean and jerk world record from China’s Olympic champion Li Fabin at the IWF World Cup in Phuket. Winner Li had earlier beaten his own snatch world record, and there were two more world records in the women’s 55kg for Kang Hyon Gyong from DPR Korea. Morris, the first American man to set a senior world record in 55 years, and John Ceniza from the Philippines both marked themselves out as Olympic medal contenders at this event, the final qualifier for Paris 2024. Hampton Morris (USA) For many others it was a struggle. Twelve of the 29 entrants in three 61kg sessions bombed out, including Li’s team-mate Chen Lijun, the 67kg champion in Tokyo, and multiple Olympic medallist Eko Yuli Irawan from Indonesia. Morris, 20, had already lifted 172kg to break the junior world when he went out for a final attempt at 176kg. In making it he moved up from seventh to second place behind Li in the Paris 2024 rankings. The last American male to break a senior world record was Bob Bednarski in 1969. “I knew the world record was a possibility,” Morris said. “My coach (his father Tripp) told me that if we knew going into the session that I’d made the Olympic team, we’d just have fun.” His place in Paris was assured when a brutal B Group ended with only three of nine athletes making a total. There was nobody left to challenge his place in the top 10. Did Morris have fun? “Absolutely! I’m just excited, that’s all there is to it. I knew that I was completely capable of the world record before we even arrived here. After the way the second jerk felt at 172, I knew I was going to make it. “All of us (Morris, his dad, and US coaches Mike Gattone and Pyrros Dimas) knew I was going to go for it at that point.” Tripp said, “I’ve been thinking for two years that Hamp could break the world record. It’s because of his trajectory in clean and jerk… We’ve just got to get his snatch going now. “Five days ago in the training hall he made 134-171 and missed 176 in the jerk. This was great, but it wasn’t a surprise.” Morris finished on 127-176-303, a 6kg improvement on his best qualifying total. Li made 146-166-312, bettering his own world record in snatch and failing with two clean and jerk attempts on 173kg that would have beaten his record on total too. Li Fabin (CHN) Pak Myong Jin from DPR Korea was third on his 21st birthday. Pak, who made 131-170-301, is not ranked for the Olympics. Ceniza was fourth on 132-168-300, a 2kg improvement on his best qualifying effort. He missed the Asian Championships in February to recover from a hip injury. “Train hard every day, forget your problems, that’s the way to prepare and that’s what I did,” Ceniza said. “It’s my dream to be an Olympian, and to be the first man to win a weightlifting medal for the Philippines.” Li heads the rankings on 314kg, followed by four others who have broken the 300kg barrier - Morris, the Italian Sergio Massidda, who is entered at 67kg here, Irawan and Ceniza. Those placed sixth to 10th are Theerapong Silachai from Thailand, Shota Mishvelidze from Georgia, Aniq Kasdan from Malaysia, Trinh Van Vinh from Vietnam and Ivan Dimov from Bulgaria. Dimov had knee surgery last week and came here to weigh in and protect his eligibility. Arley Calderon from Cuba had a chance to overtake him but he needed to improve his career-best clean and jerk by 7kg and failed, remaining in 11th place. The continental place goes to Morea Baru from Papua New Guinea, whose 281kg total in the C Group was his best for five years. Kang Hyon Gyong (PRK) In the women’s 55kg Kang declined the opportunity to try for the snatch world record. In clean and jerk she made 120kg, jumped straight to 131kg and made the lift to better the clean and jerk and total world records she set at the Asian Games last September. Kang finished 33kg clear on 103-131-234. Mihaela Cambei from Romania, already assured of a place in Paris at 49kg, moved up here and finished second on 91-110-201, the first time she has totalled more than 200kg in her career. Cambei weighed in at 51.28kg. Mihaela Cambei (ROU) Bindyarani Devi from India edged past the Canadian snatch bronze medallist Josee Gallant to finish third on 83-113-196. By Brian Oliver Photos by Giorgio

Phuket, Day 2: Photo Gallery

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Phuket, Day 2: World records and a sensational finish as Olympic champion Hou ousts China team-mate to claim place in Paris

Hou Zhuhui earned the chance to win Olympic gold for China for a second time when she bettered her own world record in a sensational performance at the IWF World Cup. There was drama from start to finish in two sessions of the women’s 49kg. DPR Korea’s Ri Song Gum also claimed a world record on the way to victory ahead of Hou, but she is not eligible for Paris 2024 because her nation entered the qualifying programme too late. Ri Song Gum (PRK) All that mattered for Tokyo champion Hou was finishing ahead of team-mate Jiang Huihua, who went to the top of the rankings at the first qualifier in Colombia 16 months ago and stayed there until the last few minutes of the afternoon A Group in Phuket. Hou Zhuhui (CHN) Four times Jiang had beaten Hou in a Paris qualifier. This time Jiang missed three of her attempts, including the last two, and Hou made a swing of 6kg to overtake her. Jiang made 94-114-208, which was 8kg down on her best effort. Even if she had made her final clean and jerk of 123kg Jiang would not have overtaken Hou. That would have put both lifters on 217kg, leaving Hou top of the rankings because she got there first. Hou made a career-best 97-120-217, which was 7kg more than her winning total in Tokyo. Ri won on 97-124-221, bettering her own world record on total with her fifth attempt and failing on 126kg as she went for the clean and jerk record too. Jiang Huihua (CHN) China was one of seven nations with athletes going head-to-head in Phuket, the final Olympic qualifying opportunity. No country can send more than one athlete in any weight category, so team-mates were up against each other in the race to be ranked in the top 10. There were tears of heartbreak and of joy on the platform, in the warm-up room and even in the audience. The happiest athletes were Hou, the Tokyo silver medallist Mirabai Chanu from India, Surodchana Khambao from Thailand, Rira Suzuki from Japan, Katherin Echandia from Venezuela, Fang Wan Ling from Chinese Taipei, triple Olympian Beatriz Piron from Dominican Republic, and Rosina Randafiarison from Madagascar. They all qualified. Rira Suzuki (JPN) Those whose hopes were dashed included Jiang, Thanyathon Sukcharoen from Thailand, who had to withdraw when she injured her elbow on her final snatch attempt, Dahiana Ortiz from Dominican Republic, Ana Lopez from Mexico, Lin Cheng Jing from Chinese Taipei and Giulia Imperio from Italy, who bombed out for a third time in qualifying. Rosegie Ramos from the Philippines is one place outside the top 10 but may yet make it to Paris if Nina Sterckx from Belgium, ranked at two weights, performs well at 59kg here on Wednesday. The continental place – awarded to the highest-ranked athlete from any continent not represented in the top 10 - will go to Randafiarison, who edged ahead of Dika Toua from Papua New Guinea by 1kg. Toua’s hopes of lifting at the Olympic Games for a record-breaking sixth time now rest with the Tripartite Commission, which will choose six weightlifters from 32 applicants for a Universality Place. Toua is one of them. Echandia and her coaching team provided the best celebration of the day. The Venezuelan screamed with joy when she made it into the top 10 with her fifth attempt,  but when when Fang edged past her she had to do it again. Echandia made it, finishing with a six-from-six 85-108-193, before leaping into the arms of one coach while being mobbed by others. Katherin Echandia (VEN) Piron has been suffering with a shoulder injury and sat out the competition after weighing in. Ortiz failed with two attempts to move above Piron. “I intended to compete here but I have to take care of myself. I have had the injury for four months,” Piron said. “Now I will be fine for Paris. It was tense to sit and watch my team-mate and I feel really happy and proud to qualify for the Olympics for a fourth time.” Chanu was happier than she has been for a long time despite making her lowest total since 2015 in the B Group. She made five from six for 81-103-184, down 16kg on her best qualifying total. She opened on 75kg, her lowest in 10 years. “I’m feeling great after what happened at the Asian Games,” Chanu said. “It has been very difficult to recover from that. Now I’m looking forward to going to Paris and making more.” Chanu was carried off the platform in agony last September after collapsing while making her final attempt at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. “It has taken her six months to recover, four and half months of it resting with only very light workouts,” said India’s head coach Vijay Sharma. “There was some confusion over what happened. One diagnosis was hip tendonitis, another was just overwork on the hip. “Mira didn’t go back to her home after the Asian Games, she went to the national camp and did whatever she could without forcing her hip. “She had already qualified so there was no point stretching her here. We want her to peak at the right time, and we know she can do much better now. Her best total on the stage is 205. We will come back on the same total and try to improve it a little bit.” Tokyo Olympian Lopez was in good shape after four attempts, 1kg below her best qualifying total. She failed with her last two and did not make the top 10. The Australian Brenna Kean found the task of chasing the continental place beyond her after losing 22.75% of her body weight since she lifted at 64kg in November. Kean, who had never competed lighter than 59kg before, bombed out in the snatch. The cut-off point at 10th place was on 190kg before today. Despite all the efforts of 32 athletes in this category in Phuket it moved by only 1kg to 191kg by the finish. Jourdan Delacruz from the United States and Mihaela Cambei from Romania, both assured of a place in Paris, did not compete today. Both are entered at 55kg. Men's 55kg podium PRK also won the non-Olympic men’s 55kg. Pang Un Chol failed with his fifth lift then made the last one for 118-152-270 to edge ahead of Natthawat Chomchuen from Thailand. Chomchuen, who made a great save on his final attempt, finished 119-150-269 and Lai Gia Thanh from Vietnam was third on 120-148-268. By Brian Oliver Photos by Giorgio

Phuket, Day 1: Photo Gallery

All photos by Giorgio Scala/Deepbluemedia [gallery size="large" ids="39857,39852,39860,39858,39853,39854,39861,39855,39856,39859,39847"]