IWF World Championships:
Salimi laments lack of experience as Iran’s Salehipour finishes empty-handed
Head coach Behdad Salimi said young Iranian weightlifters “need to compete in more international events to mature” after Iliya Salehipour finished without a medal at the IWF World Championships in Forde, Norway.
Competing in Tuesday’s 88kg contest, Salehipour failed with the 157kg lift on his first attempt but succeeded with his second try, and then posted a 163kg effort to finish fourth in the snatch event.
Salehipour went on to open the clean & jerk with a successful 193kg lift. However, this proved to be his only successful effort, as he subsequently failed two attempts at 202kg to stand sixth in the category.
An overall tally of 356kg saw the 19-year-old Iranian settle for a sixth-place finish in the total standings.
Colombian Yeison López stole the show with double golds and a C&J silver.
North Korea’s Ro Kwang-ryol collected the clean & jerk gold and total silver, with Chile’s Arley Méndez finishing runner-up in snatch, while Moldova’s Marin Robu bagged triple bronze medals.
“As you saw, Iliya really had a chance to win a C&J medal. Our strategy was for him to find his way into the table with his first lift, and then we would look at a medal,” Salimi said of Salehipour’s campaign.
“It was a strange competition today as many lifts were missed. There were far more red lights than expected, and we were also caught off guard,” added the former world and Olympic champion.
“South Korean lifters failed with their 201kg attempts in quick succession, which is why we lost 5-6 minutes of our planned rest. Had the circumstances been smoother, Illia would have lifted 202kg with more confidence.
“This was Salehipour’s first time competing at the Senior World Championships. These young athletes need to gain experience so that they can mature and win medals for the country over the next seven or eight years.
“Iliya lacks some self-belief. I’ve told him many times that he has the ability to win a medal, but he didn’t fully believe it himself until today. I hope this competition becomes a major learning experience for him.”
Unlike his coach, Salehipour thought a bit of over-confidence cost him a medal in Forde.
“I could have won a C&J medal, but with the long wait between my attempts and the favorable situation that developed on the board for me, I somewhat underestimated the 202kg lift. My body was also a bit fatigued.
“God willing, I will make up for it in the upcoming competitions, especially the Islamic Solidarity Games,” he added. “I can confidently say that this competition was a huge learning experience for me. I’ll keep training hard to achieve what I deserve.”
Next in action for Iran will be Alireza Moeini and Ali A’alipour in the men’s 94kg competitions on Thursday.