WEIGHTLIFTING: China’s Deng claims fourth IWF world title

China's World Champion Wei Deng (Photo: IWF)

The International Weightlifting Federation’s 2018 World Championships continues in Ashgabat (TKM), with China’s Wei Deng continuing her dominance with a fourth world title, winning the women’s 64 kg title and setting five more world records.

She won the Rio 2016 title at the then-63 kg class and already owned world titles from 2010, 2014 and 2015, but lifting in the new, 64 kg class, she set a new mark of 112 kg in the Snatch and followed with another world mark of 140 kg in the Clean & Jerk. All three of her lifts in the C&J gave her new world records of 247, 250 and 252 kg. All this and she is still only 25!

China’s Wangli Zhang was just as supreme in the women’s 71 kg class, setting world records in the Clean & Jerk of 148 and 152 kg and total lift records of 263 and 267 kg. “I came here to set World Records and win the World Championships. I got everything I wanted,” she said afterwards.

The U.S. got its first medal of the Championships with a bronze for Mattie Rogers at 71 kg in the Clean & Jerk. Her second lift of 133 kg was good enough for third, but she missed on her final try at 137 kg. It’s her second consecutive World Championships medal after earning a bronze in all three categories last year.

The parade of world records, in significant part because of the changes in weight classes from eight to 10, continued in Ashagat. Through just the first four days, here are the 15 new men’s records (across six classes) and 31 women’s records, also over six classes:

Men’s 55 kg:
Yun Chol Om (PRK) Clean & Jerk: 162 kg

Men’s 61 kg:
Eko Irawan (INA) Clean & Jerk: 174 kg
Irawan Total: 313 kg
Irawan Total: 317 kg

Men’s 67 kg:
Lijun Chen (CHN) Total: 332 kg

Men’s 73 kg:
Zhiyong Shi (CHN) Snatch: 161 kg
Shi Snatch: 164 kg
Shi Clean & Jerk: 196 kg
Shi Total: 352 kg
Shi Total: 360 kg

Men’s 81 kg:
Xiaojun Lyu (CHN) Snatch: 172 kg
Mohamed Ihab Mahmoud (EGY) Snatch: 173 kg
Mahmoud Total: 369 kg
Mahmoud Total: 373 kg
Lyu Total: 374 kg

Men’s 89 kg: none

Women’s 49 kg:
Huihua Jiang (CHN) Snatch: 92 kg
Sopita Tanasan (THA) Snatch: 93 kg
Chayuttra Pramongkhol (THA) Clean & Jerk: 120 kg
Zhihui Hou (CHN) Total: 205 kg
Jiang Total: 206 kg
Hou Total: 208 kg
Pramongkhol Total: 209 kg

Women’s 55 kg:
Yajun Li (CHN) Snatch: 100 kg
Sukanya Srisurat (THA) Snatch: 101 kg
Li Snatch: 102 kg
Srisurat Snatch: 103 kg
Srisurat Snatch: 105 kg
Srisurat Clean & Jerk: 127 kg
Li Total: 223 kg
Srisurat Total: 227 kg
Srisurat Total: 230 kg
Srisurat Total: 232 kg

Women’s 59 kg:
Hsing-Chun Kuo (TPE) Snatch: 105 kg
Kuo Clean & Jerk: 132 kg
Guiming Chen (CHN) Clean & Jerk: 133 kg
Kuo Total: 233 kg
Kuo Total: 237 kg

Women’s 64 kg:
Wei Deng (CHN) Snatch: 112 kg
Deng Clean & Jerk: 140 kg
Deng Total: 247 kg
Deng Total: 250 kg
Deng Total: 252 kg

Women’s 71 kg:
Wangli Zhang (CUB) Clean & Jerk: 148 kg
Zhang Clean & Jerk: 152 kg
Zhang Total: 263 kg
Zhang Total: 267 kg

As the sport tries to recover from the doping scandals which have pushed it to the edge of being removed from the 2024 Olympic program in Paris, it’s interesting to see if athletes from either of the last two World Championships were able to repeat. The 2017 Worlds in Anaheim was quite clean in terms of doping, as nine nations were excluded completely. The 2015 Worlds in Houston had 24 positives and almost cost weightlifting its place in the Olympics. Repeaters from these two events in 2018:

2017: Anaheim
Women 59 kg: Hsing-Chun Kuo (TPE) (Won at 58 kg)

2015: Houston
Men 55 kg: Yun Chol Om (PRK) (Won at 56 kg)
Men 67 kg: Lijun Chen (CHN) (Won at 62 kg)
Men 73 kg: Zhiyong Shi (CHN) (Won at 69 kg)
Men 85 kg: Artem Okulov (RUS) (Won at 89 kg)
Women 63 kg: Wei Deng (CHN) (Won at 64 kg)

Among the men, 2018 marked the fourth World Championship for 2012 Olympic winner Om, the third for Chen and second for Shi and Okulov. For the women, Deng won her fourth world title and the women’s 59 kg title in the third for Kuo.

A noteworthy performance for the U.S. was from 2017 bronze medalist Harrison Maurus, who finished sixth overall, but set another World Junior Record at 81 kg, this time with a lift of 200 kg in the Clean & Jerk. Summaries so far:

IWF World Championships
Ashgabat (TKM) ~ 2-11 November 2018
(Full results here)

Men

55 kg: 1. Yun Chol Om (PRK), 282 kg total combined weight; 2. Arli Chontey (KAZ), 258 kg: 3. Mirco Scaratino (ITA), 252 kg; 4. Young-Ho Kim (KOR), 251 kg; 5. Josue Brachi Garcia (ESP), 250 kg; 6. Angel Rusev (BUL), 248 kg; 7. Sergio Massidda (ITA), 236 kg; 8. Muammer Sahin (TUR), 235 kg.

61 kg: 1. Eko Yuli Irawan (INA), 317 kg; 2. Fabin Li (CHN), 310 kg; 3. Fulin Qin (CHN), 308 kg; 4. Francisco Mosqueda (COL), 304 kg; 5. Kim Tuan Thach (VIE), 298 kg; 6. Adkhamjon Ergashev (UZB), 293 kg; 7. Shofa Mishvelidze (GEO), 293 kg; 8. Yoichi Itokazu (JPN), 292 kg.

67 kg: 1. Lijun Chen (CHN), 332 kg; 2. Minhao Huang (CHN), 323 kg; 3. Julio Mayora (VEN), 322 kg; 4. Doston Yokubov (UZB), 319 kg; 5. Oscar Figueroa (COL), 318 kg; 6. Jong Ju Pak (PRK), 315 kg; 7. Goga Chkheidze (GEO), 311 kg; 8. Deni (INA), 310 kg. Also: 18. Alex Lee (USA), 292 kg.

73 kg: 1. Zhiyong Shi (CHN), 360 kg; 2. Jeongsik Won (KOR), 348; 3. Vadzim Likharad (BLR), 343 kg; 4. Chong Song Ri (PRK), 342 kg; 5. Kang Chol O (PRK), 339 kg; 6. Briken Calja (ALB), 339 kg; 7. Karem Ben Hnia (TUN), 337 kg. Also: 10. Clarence Cummings Jr. (USA), 335 kg.

81 kg: 1. Xiaojun Lyu (CHN), 374 kg; 2. Mohamed Ihab Mahmoud (EGY), 373 kg; 3. Dayin Li (CHN), 372 kg; 4. Rejepbay Rejepov (TKM), 363 kg; 5. Petr Asayonak (BLR), 357 kg; 6. Harrison Maurus (USA), 357 kg; 7. Nico Mueller (GER), 348 kg; 8. Safaa Aljumaili (IRQ), 346 kg.

89 kg: 1. Artem Okulov (RUS), 372 kg; 2. Pavel Khadasevich (BLR), 371; 3. Revaz Davitadze (GEO), 371; 4. Brayan Rodallegas COL), 370 kg; 5. Arley Mendez (CHI), 369 kg; 6. Keydomar Vallenilla (VEN), 369 kg; 7. Hakob Mkrtchyan (ARM), 365 kg; 8. Jhor Moreno (COL), 363 kg.

Women

45 kg: 1. Thunya Sukcharoen (THA), 186 kg; 2. Yulduz Dzhumbayeva (TKM), 179 kg; 3. Chiraphan Nanthawong (THA), 171 kg; 4. Katherin Echandia Zarate (VEN), 157 kg; 5. Alessandra Pagliaro (ITA), 156 kg; 6. Thi Thu Trang Nguyen (VIE), 151 kg; 7. Daniela Padvova (BUL), 141 kg; only entrants.

49 kg: 1. Chayuttra Pramongkhol (THA), 209 kg; 2. Zhihui Hou (CHN), 208 kg; 3. Huihua Jiang (CHN), 206 kg; 4. Sopita Tanasan (THA), 201 kg; 5. Elena-Ramona Andries (ROU), 188 kg; 6. Beatriz Piron Candelario (DOM), 187 kg; 7. Sri Wahyuni Agustiani (INA), 186 kg; 8. Thi Huyen Vuong (VIE), 183 kg. Also: 12. Alyssa Richey (USA), 178 kg.

55 kg: 1. Sukanya Srisurat (THA), 232 kg; 2. Yajun Li (CHN), 225 kg; 3. Wanqiong Zhang (CHN), 225 kg; 4. Cristina Iovu ((ROU), 220 kg; 5. Zulfiya Chinshanlo (KAZ), 213 kg; 6. Muattar Nabieva (UZB), 212 kg; 7. Nouha Landoulsi (TUN), 211 kg; 8. Kristina Shermatova (TKM), 210 kg. Also: 15. Jourdan Delacruz (USA), 198 kg; … 20. Caitlin Hogan (USA), 191 kg.

59 kg: 1. Hsing-Chun Kuo (TPE), 237 kg; 2. Guiming Chen (CHN), 231 kg; 3. Rebeka Koha (LAT), 227 kg; 4. Pimsiri Sirikaew (THA), 225 kg; 5. Mikiko Sirikaew (THA), 225 kg; 6. Thi Duyen Hoang (VIE), 223 kg; 7. Chineye Fedelis (NGR), 215 kg; 8. Acchedya Jagaddhita (INA), 212 kg. Also: 12. Jessica Lucero (USA), 204 kg.

64 kg: 1. Wei Deng (CHN), 252 kg; 2. Un Sim Rim (PRK), 239 kg; 3. Rattanawan Wamalun (HA), 239 kg; 4. Tzu-Chi LIN (TPE), 235 kg; 5. Loredana-Elena Toma (ROU), 234 kg; 6. Mercedes Perez (COL), 232 kg; 7. Assem Sadykova (KAZ), 226 kg; 8. Karina Goricheva (KAZ), 224 kg. Also: 15. Mattie Sasser (USA), 218 kg; … 22. Hunter Elam (USA), 207 kg.

71 kg: 1. Wangli Zhang (CHN), 267 kg; 2. Sara Ahmed (EGY), 252 kg; 3. Nadezda Likhacheva (KAZ), 242 kg; 4. Anastasiia Romanova (RUS), 240 kg; 5. Mattie Rogers (USA), 238 kg; 6. Meredith Alwine (USA), 233 kg; 7. Mari Sanchez (COL), 228 kg; 8. Jennifer Cantu (MEX), 216 kg.