Iranian weightlifter Moradi ends illustrious career
Iranian decorated weightlifter Sohrab Moradi announced his retirement from the sport at the age of 35.
Best remembered by his gold-winning campaign at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Moradi made the decision after struggling with several injuries in recent years.
“I hope to have won a constant place in your hearts and memories,” wrote the six-time world gold medalist in a farewell message on his Instagram page on Friday.
His latest international appearance came at the Asian Championships in May, where he failed to finish on the podium in the 102kg weight class in Jinju, South Korea.
A world junior bronze winner in 2008, Moradi represented the country at the 2012 Olympics but left London empty-handed and then served a two-year ban by the sport’s international governing body for failing a drug test.
The Iranian was back in the sport in time to book a berth for the Rio Games, where a total lift of 403kg secured the ultimate prize of the 94kg class for him.
The Olympic triumph was followed by further domination for the Iranian in the next two editions of the World Championships as he made a clean sweep of three gold medals on both occasions.
Moradi’s total tally of 416kg in the 2018 world event in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, has remained a world record to date.
A winner of 11 Asian medals – including five golds – Moradi also marched to the top podium at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
His career, however, was hampered by back and shoulder injuries in the latter stages as he failed to win a quota for the Tokyo Olympics, while double silvers and a snatch bronze in the 2021 Asian Championships were all he achieved during the past five years.
He was hoping next year’s Olympics in Paris would mark a fitting sendoff for him but was given a reality check in May’s Asian Championships as a total record of 362kg saw him finish outside the top 25 in the ranking list.