Iranian weightlifter Mo’eini eyeing new heights at World Championships
Iranian weightlifter Alireza Mo’eini said he will be looking to improve on last year’s silver-winning campaign when competing at the upcoming IWF World Championships – starting October 2 in Forde, Norway.
Mo’eini will be part of the Iranian 10-man squad at the world event, representing the country in the 96kg contests – alongside Ali A’alipour.
The Iranian duo will step onto the platform on the back of an impressive run at the major events over the past nine months.
While Mo’eini settled for a world snatch silver, A’alipour collected the clean & jerk and total bronzes in Manama last December, before the two went on to bag five medals between them – including triple golds – at the Asian Championships in May.
Mo’eini said he has set his sights on the ultimate prize in the snatch competition this time around, though high-profile Bulgarian Karlos Nasar remains the favorite for glory in Forde.
An Olympic 89kg champion in Paris last summer, Nasar completed a clean sweep of three world golds in the same weight class in Manama, but will compete in the 96kg division – where he holds the world snatch record with 188kg – in October’s showpiece.
Asked if Iranian fans can expect him to break the Bulgarian’s record, Mo’eini said: “Definitely. It will be a close contest between me and Nasar in the snatch. I’ll also give my best effort in the clean & jerk to win a total medal, but my top priority is to beat Nasar for the snatch gold.
“Nasar is a great athlete, but if we already count the gold medal as his – and everyone seems to think this way – it will be a setback for us ahead of the tournament. The numbers that Ali and I are hitting in training are at a level that could put us in contention for the gold medal.”
Mo’eini, however, acknowledged that he would need to deliver a much-improved performance in clean & jerk, compared to last year’s campaign, where he finished 10th with a best lift of 202kg.
“I’ve posted some good lifts in training sessions and improved on my numbers from last year. However, due to a shoulder injury, the split jerk is a bit difficult for me right now. I’m working on it in training so I can successfully complete the lifts I’m pulling from the floor.
“With Olympic champions such as Nasar, [Qatar’s] Fares El-Bakh, and [Iranian] Kianoush Rostami [who will represent Kosovo], among other title winners all in the mix, the competition will be fierce. Ali and I are relatively young weightlifters, but our intention is to stand on the global podium.”