Iranian weightlifter Davoudi scoops triple golds in IWF Grand Prix
Iranian superheavyweight weightlifter Ali Davoudi made an impressive return to the international scene at the IWF Grand Prix Havana 2023.
The reigning Olympic silver medalist took a major step in securing a berth in next year’s Paris Games by making a clean sweep of the men’s +109kg golds at the qualifying event in the Cuban capital.
In the absence of the four medalists in last year’s World Championships – Georgian sensation Lasha Talakhadze, Bahrain’s Gor Minasyan, Armenian Varazdat Lalayan, and Syrian Man Asaad – the 24-yeae-old Iranian began his campaign with a 195kg lift in the snatch contests.
The winner of six Asian golds failed to raise the 203kg weight above his head but was successful on his third attempt to finish the category 22kg clear of second-placed Belarussian Eduard Ziaziulin, who represented the Individual Neutral Athletes team in Havana.
Ecuador’s Jorge David Arroyo Valdez settled for the snatch bronze with a best tally of 180kg.
Davoudi picked up where he had left off in the snatch event, overcoming the 238kg weight in his first clean & jerk lift.
The Iranian could not overcome the 251kg and 252kg barriers in his next two attempts but the first lift proved to be enough for the C&J gold.
David Andrew Liti of the New Zealand finished second to the Iranian with 226kg, while Serbian Tamas Kajdoci registered 216kg for the bronze.
An overall tally of 441kg sealed a third gold of the night for the Iranian, with Llti (400kg) and Kajdoci (391kg) taking the overall silver and bronze medals respectively.
The weightlifting competitions will be held across five weight classes.
Each country will be allowed to have a maximum of the three contestants in each of the men and women contests.