Weightlifting World Championships:
Female four to lift Iran’s hopes for historic medal
The Iranian quadruple will be hoping to lead the country to a first-ever women’s medal at the IWF World Championships when the event kicks off in Manama, Bahrain, on December 4.
Elham Hosseini will spearhead the Iranian women at the competitions, taking part in the 87kg contests.
The 36-year-old weightlifter has fond memories of the Bahraini capital – the host city of the Asian Championships in 2022, when Hosseini made a clean sweep of golds to become the first Iranian girl to win a senior medal in the flagship continental tournament.
Hosseini has registered a total entry record of 240kg for the event, with Australian Eileen Cikamatana entering the contest with the highest total of 260kg, while defending champion Lo Ying-yuan of the Chinese Taipei will again be among the favorites to walk away with the ultimate prize.
Former world cadet bronze medalist Seyyedeh Ghazal Hosseini will represent Iran in the 64kg class with a total entry of 215kg.
North Korean duo Rim Un Sim and Ri Suk have recorded the highest entry with 245kg.
Reihaneh Karimi will head into the 71kg event with 230kg, while American Olivia Reeves – a gold medalist at the Paris Olympics – is on top of the entry list with 270kg.
Elaheh Razzaqi will be the Iranian girl in the 76kg contests, having registered 233kg for entry – 32 kilograms adrift of North Korea’s Song Kuk Hyang and Chinese Liao Guifang, who won triple 71kg golds last year, on top of the list.