The International Weightlifting Federation World Championships opened on Wednesday in Pattaya (THA) with a huge field of lifters and a brilliant performance by one of the sport’s all-time stars.
On the first day of competition, North Korea’s Yun Chol Om won his first world title in the 55 kg division, winning in a rout by almost 30 kg. It’s his fifth world title, including 2013-14-15 (all 56 kg)-18-19 (55 kg), plus an Olympic gold medal in 2012 (56 kg) and a silver in Rio in 2016 (56 kg).
Naturally, his win was accompanied by new world records in the Clean & Jerk (166 kg) and for the total of 294 kg. And at age 27, he’s hardly done.
The first women’s class, 45 kg, was won by Saziye Erdogan of Turkey at 169 kg, in a tight competition with Cuba’s Ludia Montero, who lifted 167 kg.
The Egyptian weightlifting team was sanctioned, reportedly for seven doping positives at the 2016 African Youth Championships, which was held in Cairo. The independent doping authority set up by the IWF imposed the ban, which is for two years. This would mean that Egypt could not participate in the 2020 Tokyo Games, but the ban will be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Summaries so far:
IWF World Championships
Pattaya (THA) ~ 18-27 September 2019
(Full results here)
Men
55 kg: 1. Yun Chol Om (PRK), 294 kg (World Record; new weight class) 2. Igor Son (KAZ), 266 kg; 3. Mansour Al Saleem (KSA), 265 kg; 4. Tran Nguyen (VIE), 263 kg; 5. Arli Chotney (KAZ), 263 kg; 6. John Ceniza (PHI), 262 kg; 7. Hafez Ghashghaei (IRI), 260 kg; 8. Surahmat Wijoyo (INA), 250 kg.
Women
45 kg: 1. Saziye Erdogan (TUR), 169 kg; 2. Ludia Montero (CUB), 167 kg; 3. Lisa Setiawati (INA), 165 kg; 4. Thi Vuong (VIE), 164 kg; 5. My Phuong Khong (VIE), 161 kg; 6. Rosielis Quintana (VEN), 157 kg; 7. Mary Flor Diaz (PHI), 156 kg; 8. Rosina Randafiarison (MAD), 155 kg.
