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Four lifters integrate the 2024 IWF Refugee Team

The IWF is happy to announce its Refugee Team for the year 2024, comprised of four athletes: Parisa Jahanfekrian (originally from Iran, but residing in Germany), Aline de Souza and Monique Araujo (both from Brazil, but presently based in the USA), and Addriel Garcia (Cuba/Italy). These lifters were already part of the first-ever programme in 2023, and will therefore have additional opportunities during the upcoming months to compete at the IWF events. Applicants for the team could apply until January 31, 2024. Besides these athletes, directly selected by the IWF, all lifters that are part of the IOC Refugee Team will also join the group. In 2024, the selected coach to manage the team in Aveenash Pandoo, former IWF Coaching and Research Committee Member, currently working as Head Coach in Abu Dhabi Weightlifting Club. The team is completed by Hussein Elsettawi, a physiotherapist. Monique Araujo (BRA) In accordance with the eligibility rules for the IWF Refugee Team (the 2024 Policy can be consulted here), athletes must be officially recognised as refugees in their country, in accordance with the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and may be entered in IWF events. Asylum seekers are not accepted in the programme and all lifters are required to have a travel document and must comply with article 5.5.16 of the IWF Anti-Doping Rules, by which whereabouts information of the athletes shall be submitted at minimum three months prior to the event. Finally, all athletes and support personnel must complete the WADA ADEL online course before competing and present their certificate to the IWF/ITA. In accordance with article 17.2.2 of the IWF Anti-Doping Rules, the IWF may also decide to request that athletes complete education activities before and/or during their participation in selected events as a condition of such participation. The 2024 IWF Refugee Team programme will be effective until the conclusion of the IWF World Championships, next December in Manama (BRN). While these athletes are not part of the Olympic Qualification system (with the exception of the lifters included in the IOC scholarship holders’ list), they will be able to attend IWF competitions throughout the year and will be invited to take part in at least one training camp during the year. “After a very successful launch of the IWF Refugee Team in 2023, we are pleased to proceed with the programme. This is once in a lifetime opportunity for these lifters, and I will personally never forget the satisfaction of the two Brazilian lifters who were able to compete at last year’s IWF World Championships in Riyadh. These athletes have experienced quite challenging situations during their existence, but their passion for the sport remained unchanged,” considered the IWF President Mohammed Jalood. “I wish all the lifters included in this group the best luck and I look forward to seeing them performing at the highest level in our competitions,” concluded Mr Jalood. IWF

Caracas, Day 5: Home hero Vallenilla takes ‘zero stress’ route in quest for another Olympic medal

Keydomar Vallenilla was a picture of calm even when lifting 212kg above his head on the way to victory for Venezuela at the Pan American Championships. The host nation ended the final day with three winners and a big move in the Olympic rankings by women’s super-heavyweight silver medallist Naryury Perez. “Zero stress, just the way I like it,” Vallenilla said after making 170-212-382 for a sweep of golds at 96kg, the weight at which he won silver in the Tokyo Olympic Games. He weighed in light at 89.85kg because and he is now an 89kg athlete. There is no 96kg category in Paris. Media interest around Keydomar Vallenilla (VEN) Vallenilla decided not to go head-to-head for a second time with Yeison Lopez from Colombia. At the Pan American Games in October, Vallenilla finished 1kg ahead of Lopez at 89kg. “I look forward to competing with Yeison again, he is a very strong athlete,” Vallenilla said. “But the real contest is in Paris, not here. It made sense to go at 96, I could relax, I could just make four lifts. It was very exciting, and also it was very calm.” Vallenilla declined his final snatch and his last clean and jerk. He made the other four lifts to finish with the same total Lopez made for victory at 89kg the night before. Keydomar Vallenilla (VEN) Gregorio Machado from Brazil withdrew at halfway, leaving Neiser Grefa from Ecuador to take second place 44kg behind Vallenilla on 148-190-338. Norwin Washington from Nicaragua was the only other finisher on 140-167-307. Interest in the 102kg Olympic category focused on Jhonatan Rivas from Colombia, who is 8kg below the top 10 in the rankings. Rivas retired with a shoulder injury after missing his opening snatch on 175kg. He has about six weeks to regain fitness and make a big total at the IWF World Cup, the final qualifier in Thailand from March 31 till April 11. Jeyson Arias won, making it two in a row for Venezuela. Arias made 163-212-375, ahead of Oscar Garces from Colombia on 168-201-369 and another Venezuelan, Jhohan Sanguino on 163-202-365. The Pan American Games gold medallist Rafael Cerro was a clear winner of the men’s super-heavyweights on 177-216-393. Cerro, who totalled 410kg last time out, has not competed in enough events to be eligible for Paris, but the lifters who finished second and third are. Men's +109kg podium Hernan Viera from Peru put 20kg on his best total despite failing with two snatches, finishing 150-215-365. That puts him 6kg behind Josue Medina from Mexico in the Paris rankings. Medina made only two good lifts for 161-200-361. One of these two could take a continental place in Paris. The big mover in the women’s super-heavyweights was Naryury Perez from Venezuela. She put 9kg on her best qualifying total and moved into the top 10 on 117-148-265. Lisseth Ayovi from Ecuador won on 118-151-269. When Ayovi, already assured of a place in Paris, went for a career-best clean and jerk of 158kg on her final attempt it did not go well. She lost her footing and did the splits before hitting the platform hard. Ayovi, who weighed in heaviest at 134kg, was helped off after treatment and hobbled back for the medal ceremony. She left the arena in a wheelchair. Arantzazu Pavez from Chile was third on 105-130-235. Crismery Santana from Dominican Republic, who withdrew after weigh-in, lost 10th place in the rankings. Venezuela had a third winner when Dayana Chirinos made 102-138-240 in the 87kg. Sirley Montano from Colombia was second on 103-136-239 and Dayana Mina from Ecuador third on 101-131-232. Only two athletes lifted in the men’s 109kg. Yeimar Mendoza from Colombia won on 152-190-342 ahead of Nicolas Cuevas from Chile on 151-180-331. Yeison Lopez won the best individual lifter award for men, and Neisi Dajomes from Ecuador was top woman. By Brian Oliver You can follow the exciting Pan-American Championships in Caracas, on @panampesas official Youtube channel at:

Caracas, Day 4: Olympic champion Dajomes misses big chance for Paris in timing mix-up 

The Tokyo Olympic champion Neisi Dajomes is in danger of failing to qualify for Paris 2024 after a mix-up over timing and numbers at the Pan American Championships in Caracas, Venezuela. Dajomes had already won the 81kg category by a wide margin with a lift to spare. She needed 4kg more to overtake her Ecuador team-mate Tamara Salazar and move into fourth place in the Olympic rankings. That meant 145kg was the target. Dajomes has made it before at 76kg, the weight at which she won gold in Tokyo. But her coaching team, led by the Russian Alexei Ignatov, changed from 145 to 146 and apparently got the timing wrong. Neisi Dajomes and her team Dajomes ran on to the platform with 11 seconds on the clock, used a few of them to tighten her belt, and had no time to compose herself. She got the bar off the ground with two seconds to spare but never looked like making the lift. She broke her own continental record in snatch but 121-141-262 was not enough. Salazar, a silver medallist at 87kg in Tokyo, remains in fourth place on 265kg with one qualifier to come, the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand from March 31 until April 11. Nations can send only one athlete per weight category. There was a lot of animated discussion in the warm-up room afterwards. Ecuador tried to make a challenge. The jury president Italo Barrattini from Chile refused it and explained, “The coach made an error, he did not understand the two-minute clock rule.” The coach thought Dajomes had two minutes when she had one. There could be a further twist for Dajomes. Salazar was taken to hospital by ambulance when she suffered a lower back injury while warming up at the Pan American Games in Chile in October. She has not made a lift in qualifying since June. If she does not travel to Phuket and weigh in, she will not be eligible for Paris. Yudelina Meija from Dominican Republic and Laura Amaro from Brazil were second and third behind Dajomes, both lower than their best qualifying total. Mejia was second on 108-136-244 and Amaro third on 108-135-243. Dajomes’ younger sister Angie Palacios was an easy winner of the women’s 71kg on a day when nobody made any gains in the rankings. Snatch world record holder Palacios made four good lifts and declined the other two, finishing with a sweep of golds on 110-130-240. Neisi Dajomes after the snatch record The silver and bronze snatch medallists both failed to make a total. Yeniuska Mirabal from Cuba, 17th In the rankings, retired at halfway because of a thigh injury, which will not be serious enough to stop her competing in the World Cup. Then 11th-placed Amanda Schott from Brazil was helped off the platform with a leg muscle injury after missing two clean and jerks. She also retired. It is a race against time but coach Dragos Doru Stanica is hopeful that Schott will lift in Thailand. Mari Sanchez from Colombia was second on 104-128-232, which is 12kg lower than her best qualifying total. She remains seventh. Third place went to Diana Garcia from Mexico on 93-126-219. Nataly Geerman (ARU) with her medals Nataly Geerman made a little bit of history when she finished second in the 76kg to win Aruba’s fist ever medal at the Pan American Championships. “I didn’t expect to win anything against these athletes,” said Geerman. “I’m not a full-time weightlifter. I have a job in security at the airport, so it’s difficult. I’m going out to celebrate with a big meal – Angus steak.” Geerman, 25, has improved since working with Ecuadorian coach Walter Llerena, who was Dajomes’ coach for years before being replaced by Ignatov. Hellen Escobar from Colombia won on 95-126-221, declining her final attempt. Geerman made a career-best 90-125-215, and Bella Paredes from Ecuador was third on 95-115-210. Yeison Lopez from Colombia continued his run of impressive results and underlined his Olympic medal potential by winning the men’s 89kg. Lopez, 25, made five good lifts on 175-207-382. Yeison Lopez (COL) It might have been six from six and a world record at the José ‘Papa’ Carrillo Gymnasium. The number 181 went up for his third snatch attempt. That would have given him at shot at Li Dayin’s world record, but the 181 soon changed to two yellow lines signifying that Lopez had declined the attempt. “Maybe next time,” he said, looking ahead to the World Cup. “My results show that things are going well. I hope to break the world and Pan American snatch records in Thailand.” The popular Venezuelan Keydomar Vallenilla, who beat Lopez by 1kg at the Pan American Games in October, lifts at 96kg on Wednesday, the final day of the Championships. Arley Mendez took silver for Chile on 170-205-375. He is not eligible for Paris after missing the World Championships last September. Olfides Saez from Cuba improved his best qualifying total by 4kg on 160-206-366, which leaves him 14th in the rankings. Boady Santavy from Canada, one place below the top 10, retired after missing his second and third snatches. “It’s disappointing because training has gone really well,” he said. “I don’t know why but I just didn’t feel good today, and my head wasn’t there for the 207 clean and jerk I’d have needed (to move up a few places). It wasn’t worth risking it.” By Brian Oliver You can follow the exciting Pan-American Championships in Caracas, on @panampesas official Youtube channel at:

Caracas, Day 3: Mosquera makes last lift and Mayora bombs out in dramatic battle of Olympic medallists

Luis Javier Mosquera moved into the top 10 of the Olympic rankings on a night of red lights and high drama at the Pan American Championships in Caracas, Venezuela. Julio Mayora’s noisy army of fans watched their home-nation hero fail three times to finish off a clean and jerk, leaving fellow Olympic silver medallist Mosquera to take the 73kg title for Colombia. Mosquera had also missed two jerks but he made his last one. His 153-184-337 moved Mosquera up from 14th to eighth in the Paris 2024 lists and knocked Furkan Ozbek from Turkey out of the top 10. Mayora is down one place to 12th, 3kg short of the top 10. His last chance to make up that deficit is in the final qualifier, the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand from March 31-April 11. Men's 73kg podium Mayora versus Mosquera – silver medallists in Tokyo at 73kg and 67kg respectively - was a gripping, noisy contest from start to finish, enlivened by a band of drummers among Mayora’s many fans at the José ‘Papa’ Carrillo Gymnasium. Mosquera, who will be 29 next month, missed his opener on 150kg, made it next time and finished on 153kg in snatch, his best effort by 3kg in an Olympic qualifying period blighted by injury. Mosquera had returned to training last August after a 15-month absence because of hand, adductor and shoulder injuries. Mayora made 147kg and 151kg, then took the lead at halfway after a prolonged jury review of his final attempt on 154kg. He seemed to drop the bar above shoulder height but got the benefit of the doubt. Mayora's fans In clean and jerk, Mosquera missed twice at 180kg after seemingly easy cleans. He went up to 184kg, sending Mayora out to the platform. When Mayora also failed twice, the Tokyo medallists were in big trouble. The Venezuelan Reinner Arango had finished 9kg down on his winning total at the World Juniors last November but was leading on 138-170-308 with two attempts to come. Mosquera took his final chance, making 184kg and spending a while on his knees as if in prayer after the lift. It was 4kg better than any other lift he had made in qualifying. The drummers and screaming fans raised the noise level again. For a third time Mayora could not make 184kg. Mosquera had won, 19-year-old Arango was second, and the Mexican Jorge Cardenas was third on 140-160-300. Nine lifters from four continents are within 10kg of Mosquera’s 337kg total so he cannot take anything for granted. It should be a session to savour in Thailand. There was better news for Venezuela in the women’s 59kg when Anyelin Venegas won and boosted her chances for Paris. Venegas became the only top-10 athlete to make ground in the rankings in a month when all five continental championships have taken place.  Four of the top 10 did not compete, waiting instead for the World Cup. Five others failed to improve on their best total. Anyelin Venegas (VEN) Venegas jumped from ninth to sixth by making all her clean and jerks for victory on 100-126-226. In the process she overtook Janeth Gomez from Mexico, who drops to ninth. Gomez and Genesis Rodriguez, also from Venezuela, both failed with their last two attempts and finished 5kg behind Venegas. Rodriguez, who improved her best qualifying total by 3kg, got there first on 101-120-221 for second place while Gomez made 100-121-221 in third. “That’s awesome, fantastic!” Venegas said after learning of her new ranking position. “I equalled my best snatch and it was my best clean and jerk. “It was a very hard preparation for my first international competition here in Venezuela. I couldn’t be happier.” Colombia took first and third place in the women’s 64kg, with teenager Charlotte Simoneau second in her first senior competition outside Canada. Rosive Silgado, competing internationally for the first time since 2021, made 95-125-220 for victory. Her team-mate Rosalba Morales made 94-115-209. Second-placed Simoneau, 18, missed her final two attempts in making 96-116-212. That was a career-best snatch but down 1kg on the total she made in finishing second at the World Juniors. Colombia took the men’s 81kg, in which only three lifted. Edwin Lagarejo won on 143-170-313, Richard Ollo was second for Venezuela on 137-168-305 and Ariel Galeano from Argentina third on 130-160-290. By Brian Oliver You can follow the exciting Pan-American Championships in Caracas, on @panampesas official Youtube channel at:

Caracas, Day 2: Canada’s Gallant strikes gold, with a push from one of Bulgaria’s biggest names

Josee Gallant made career-best numbers in claiming her first international victory at the Pan American Championships in Venezuela. The Canadian did it with the help of one of the biggest names in Bulgarian weightlifting. Gallant felt she needed to push harder in training. There is no tougher system than the Bulgarian Method, so Gallant decided last October to talk to one of the biggest names in weightlifting history, Alex Varbanov, and his son Nick. Alex was one of the lifters who helped Bulgaria to overtake the Soviet Union as the number one team in weightlifting in the 1980s. The triple world champion and multiple world record holder, who emigrated to Canada in 2008, is one of the all-time top 10 weightlifters based on the Sinclair points system. Josee Gallant (CAN) He and Nick, a Canadian champion nine times, run a gym in Toronto. That is more than 1,700 kilometres from Gallant’s home in Truro, Nova Scotia where she works full-time for her local municipality in communications. “I trained at their gym for a week or so, and now I work mostly with Nick, through his dad, remotely,” said Gallant after she made 89-109-198 for a sweep of golds at 55kg. “I’ll go there for a week before I fly to Thailand (for the IWF World Cup from March 31-April 11). “What I’m doing is the Bulgarian Method adapted for a 31-year-old woman. I do extra stability stuff like snatch balance that’s not typical Bulgarian. But I do max out regularly, maybe three times a week, and I respond well to that. I always lifted heavy but this is less volume, higher percentages. “It was far from a typical session today but it was very exciting.” Gallant was certain of a medal before she started, when half the field of six withdrew - two from Paraguay and the Mexican Yesica Hernandez. Gallant improved her best snatch by 3kg, her clean and jerk by 4kg and her total by 8kg. The late starter, who moved into weightlifting from CrossFit, loves every minute of training and competing, and aims to stay around for a while yet. Rosselyn Uzcategui from Venezuela had to fight hard to make her third snatch after two failures, and took silver from only two good lifts on 83-103-186. Victoria Grenni from El Salvador was third on 75-96-171. The absentees from the men’s 61kg included the continent’s top two lifters at this weight. Hampton Morris lifted in Bulgaria 12 days ago because the United States decided against travelling to Venezuela and got permission to compete as guests at the European Championships. Arley Calderon (CUB) Morris is seventh in the Olympic rankings, four places ahead of Arley Calderon from Cuba. Calderon opted to lift at 67kg here, weighing in at 63.05kg and making a straightforward six-from-six for his lowest total in three years on 118-148-266. He will try for the top 10 at the World Cup, the final Olympic qualifier, where his entry total is 295kg. Three of the six 61kg lifters at the José ‘Papa’ Carrillo Gymnasium have entries for the World Cup but the title went to one who does not. Hector Viveros from Colombia made up an 8kg deficit in snatch to win on 115-149-264. The Peruvian Luis Bardalez failed with a final attempt for victory on 152kg, finishing second on 114-150-264. Victor Garrido from Ecuador missed his last two attempts at 144kg and finished third on 123-140-263. Men's 61kg podium The home nation’s gold medal favourite Wilkeinner Lugo, whose best total is 281kg, bombed out when he missed three snatch attempts at 118kg. Colombia struck again with a 1-2 finish at 67kg. Luis Cano made four good lifts after failing with his opener, and declined his final attempt after making 129-164-293. His team-mate Hector Garcia made 135-157-292. The Venezuelan Endy Rivas earned big cheers from a noisy crowd when he made his final attempt at 160kg to take third place on 127-160-287. By Brian Oliver You can follow the exciting Pan-American Championships in Caracas, on @panampesas official Youtube channel at:

Caracas, Day 1: Mexican winner Lopez has Paris in her sights after moving up 33 places in rankings

Ana Lopez overtook three Mexican team-mates and moved from nowhere to a strong position in the Olympic rankings when she won the women’s 49kg on the opening day of the Pan American Championships in Venezuela. In the extended list, which features four Mexicans, Lopez was 48th and last at this weight. Now she is ahead of her three team-mates in 15th place on that list, and 11th in the simplified rankings. Nations cannot qualify more than one athlete in any weight category. “I’m confident about making it to Paris, I’m feeling good,” said Lopez, who lifted at 55kg in the Tokyo Games, at which weight she regularly hit the 200kg mark. In her first attempt at 49kg, after losing more than 10 per cent of her body weight, Lopez bombed out in snatch. That was at the IWF Grand Prix in Qatar in December. This time she made all three snatches. Why the big turnaround in form? Ana Lopez (MEX) “For months I found it difficult to adapt to being 49,” she said. “It was really, really tough to begin with. I felt so tired. Now I have adapted better to this weight, I had more courage today and I’m so much happier.” Lopez, 29, finished ahead of the woman who is 10th in the rankings, Katherin Echandia from Venezuela, who was a Youth Olympics champion in 2018. Echandia had the backing of a good-sized crowd at the José ‘Papa’ Carrillo Gymnasium in the Parque Miranda Sports Complex, a venue for the 1983 Pan American Games. She had two attempts on 106kg to go ahead of Lopez but failed with both to finish 83-102-185. That was 5kg down on her best qualifying total. Lopez’ team-mate Andrea De La Herran made only good lifts in her 80-95-175 in third place. Dominican Republic also has more than one contender. Beatriz Piron, a triple Olympian and mother of three, withdrew after weighing in. Dahiana Ortiz had a chance to go ahead of eight-placed Piron. But after making her opening snatch at 80kg she failed twice, then withdrew from clean and jerk. Doris Marrero, IWF Vice-President; Mohammed Jalood, IWF President; Mervin Maldonado, Venezuela's Sports Minister; José Quiñones, Pan-American Weightlifting Federation President Shoely Mego from Peru, another who had never made a total at 49kg after dropping down from 55kg, was fourth on 73-94-167. Mego regularly hit the 190s as a 55. Mexico and Venezuela cleaned up in the non-Olympic categories. The only two women’s 45kg entries were from the host nation. Victoria Tovar made 68-87-155 to finish well clear of Mariangeli Martinez, sixth at the World Junior Championships four months ago, who made only two good lifts for 62-82-144. Two Mexicans among four entries in the men’s 55kg finished first and second. Juan Barco made 101-127-228 ahead of junior world champion José Poox on 99-127-226. Howard Roche from Puerto Rico was third. By Brian Oliver You can follow the exciting Pan-American Championships in Caracas, on @panampesas official Youtube channel at: