‘Bright future’ for Iranian weightlifting after Asian junior triumph
The future of Iranian weightlifting is “bright” after the country enjoyed a remarkable campaign at the recently-finished Asian Youth and Junior Championships in Doha, according to head coach Javad Naderi.
All 12 members of the squad managed to step onto the podium in their respective events as Iranians boys grabbed 35 medals, winning the juniors’ title with 727 points.
Ariya Paydar spearheaded the country’s medal haul in the Qatari capital, making a clean sweep of three golds thanks to a 169-211-380 record in the 109kg weight class.
Mehrab Davasari, Amirmohammad Rahmati, Hamidreza Zarei, and Amirhossein Sepah were also among the gold winners, as Iran finished with eight golds, 15 silvers, and 12 bronzes, coupled with 15 medals – including Hanieh Sharifi’s double golds – in the women’s draw.
“The future is bright for Iranian weightlifting, given all 12 contestants won at least one medal, which is an unprecedented feat for the country in the history of the competition,” said the men’s coach Naderi.
“The number of the Iranians’ successful efforts was impressive, while, Davasari lifted 160kg in the clean & jerk discipline of the youth 67kg category, which is a truly promising outcome for him,” added the Iranian.
There were further outstanding performances for the Iranians, Naderi said, adding: “Zarei made an attempt for world record in the 96kg class, though he failed at the end.
“Hamidreza Mohammadi Tanha, meanwhile, was our sole representative in the +109kg event and proved to be an up-and-coming talent in the superheavyweight class. He has improved his personal records by 15 to 20 kilograms over the past 12 months,” Naderi said.
The young Iranian finished on 177-225-402 to settle for triple silver medals.
Naderi still believes Iranians could have collected more gold medals in Doha, had it not been for some bad luck last-gasp slips.
“Sepah stood atop the podium in the 96kg snatch event and should have won the C&J gold, but failed in the very last second of his third attempt. Illia Salehipour could have also won a gold in the 89kg contests but saw his lift deemed as a foul by the judges. Alireza Nassiri, who won double silvers and a bronze in the 102kg, came short of the total gold by one kilogram.”