News

Foreign coaches in demand

The IWF has noted an increasing demand from National Federations to employ foreign coaches to work with their national selections. Therefore National Federations and those coaches who are willing to work abroad to send their contact details to the IWF. At the IWF Secretariat Gabriella Barany is handling the matter:

Asian Games summary

?The IWF has assessed the organisation of the Asian Games in Qatar, in particular the weightlifting competitions, and concludes that it was a prime event of a very high standard,? says Dr. Tamás Aján, President of the IWF, following his return from Doha. ?We also appreciate the professional activity of the Technical Officials ? a great ?Thank You? to them. A record number of 35 participating nations and seven new world records are indicative that Asia is supreme in our sport: in fact the Asian continent is the strongest one overall. We are very sorry about the four positive results, while it must be noted that an unprecedented 50% (!) of the 173 participating weightlifters were tested in the IWF-DAGOC

Asians conclude battles in Doha

In the women?s heaviest category, the +75kg, the two protagonists celebrated their third face-to-face contest after two world championships. Both times before, the lighter lady ? Korean Jang Mi-Ran, holder of the world record with 318kg ? was on the winning side. In Doha, however, Mu Shuangshuang from China improved the balance to 1:2. Her final score was 317kg.This time, it was Mu Shuangshuang's turn to take the goldThe moment of truth came when Jang missed her 139kg snatch world record lift ? a weight Mu hoisted successfully, giving her 4 kilos on the Korean, which plus she was able to maintain right till the end.In a final effort, Jang raised the winning 182kg barbell overhead, however she could not hold it like she did in Santo Domingo, but dropped it behind her back. Surprise came in the men?s 85kg: gold medal for Kazakhstan. Topping his 2006 World Championship total by 10 kilos, Viacheslav Yershov defeated the number one favourite Chinese Lu Yong. The Kazakh man pulled off in snatch by 8 kilos and kept this advantage for a winning total, whereby he did not even need to take his final jerk attempt.Merely 18 years old, weightlifting?s soaring superstar Ilya Ilin pocketed another set of gold medals with hands down victory in 94kg. He outlifted the 2nd placed Korean Lee by 27kg. Bursting into the weightlifting scenery in 2005 and sweeping two junior and two senior world championships clean since, Ilin added another title to his growing collection: the Asian Games?s.Ilya Ilin (KAZ): irresistibleWinning the 105kg Ahed Joughili of Syria compensated for the disappointment of dropping out in Santo Domingo. His success came despite remaining on his opening weight in snatch, and thanks to his ability to work off that handicap by a superb lift of 222kg in the clean and jerk. Home supporters were disappointed by Qatar?s Asaad Said Saif, who bombed out at 170kg in the snatch.The appearance of the sport?s undoubtedly greatest megastar, Hossein Reza Zadeh (IRI) in the men?s favoured +105kg category was to be a highlight to round up the Doha show. The double Olympic and 10-times world champion came but the show somewhat remained under the expectations, as Reza lifted for him extremely low-weight barbells. Nevertheless, he can put further three Asian gold medals into his cupboard. Unchallenged, the Iranian giant performed ? like in Santo Domingo ? something like a light training before the over-enthusiastic public. If 448kg seemed too low at the World Championships, he totalled 425kg in Doha. Local favourite Jaber Salem was still unable to catch up with the great man. "Thank you for coming!" - Hossein Reza Zadeh wins the

Thongsuk continues with world record in Doha

In the women?s 63kg category the Olympic and world champion Thai Pawina Thongsuk was facing this year?s world champion Quyang Xiaofang (CHN). Although the latter lifted one kilo more than in Santo Domingo, Thongsuk was still more outstanding and with a 142kg new world record clean and jerk (and a 5kg higher total) she reconfirmed her supremacy.In the 69kg ladies, Liu Haixia outscored the runner-up by 30kg overall. In ?Chinese style?, she started to snatch and jerk when the others had already finished their performance. She added two kilos to her own world-title winning result.Introduced at the 2006 World Championships, Cao Lei was saved real competition this time in the women's 75kg. The Chinese woman won hands down with a 22kg lead on Oo Mya Sanda from Myanmar. Cao Lei improved her own best mark from 268kg to 272kg.In the 77kg men?s category, Li Hongli compensated for his defeat at the World Championships by Turkish Sagir Taner. Li?s Asian-Games winning total was equal to Sagir?s: 361kg. See Asian Games online: http://www.doha-2006.com Olympic Champion Pawina Thongsuk (THA) excelled in

Just published: World Weightlifting 2006-3

World Weightlifting?s 2006-3 issue carries a detailed and colourful coverage of the events of the first major Olympic Qualification event, the 2006 Men?s and Women?s World Championships in Santo Domingo, DOM.The category-by-category accounts are completed with exclusive interviews, including reports with the new French world champion Vencelas Dabaya, oldtimer Olympic and world champions, or revealing the secrets of Russian tactics for athletes? allocation into groups.The extra large IWF Poster displays all the medal

Asian Games underway in Qatar

Two days into the events of the 15th Asian Games held in Doha, weightlifting athletes display excellence at the highest level. Among the 35 nations of the continent that have sent their participants to Qatar the Chinese are leaving no doubt of their pre-eminence in both genders. Santo Domingo?s world champions, Li Zheng (56kg) and Qiu Le (62kg) won their respective categories but with a much stronger total than what they had reached two months earlier. In the men?s 69kg two Chinese Olympic champions of Athens fought for the Asian title: Zhang Guozheng and Shi Zhiyong (earlier in 62kg). Their duel resulted in a gold medal for Shi in snatch (155kg) and two titles (jerk 184kg and total 336kg) for Zhang. The bronze-medal winner made 28kg less than Shi (335kg). In the women?s 48kg 9-fold world champion Wang Mingjuan was supreme with a comfortable 206kg total.In the 53kg category, Li Ping (CHN) and Kuntatean Junpim (THA) made an almost perfect replay of their duel from one year ago, i.e. the 2005 World Championships, also held in Doha. Li Ping once again emerged victorious with 224kg, against Kuntatean?s 221kg (223kg last year).However, the beautiful weightlifting venue, the Al-Dana Banquet Hall saw the so far best performance on 3rd December in the 58kg women?s class. Olympic champion Chen Yanqing (CHN) astounded the spectators with incredible lifts, breaking 5 world records and ending in 111kg snatch, 140kg clean and jerk and 251kg total. She outshone the rest of the contenders, among them silver medallist Kameaim Wandee (THA) and Pak Hyon Suk (PRK) who tied at 224kg each.Asian Games results can be followed at: http://www.doha-2006.com Chen Yanqing -