6th International Fajr Cup:
Qashqaei, Salehipour claim double golds on Day 1
The opening day of the 6th International Fajr Cup in Tehran saw two Iranian weightlifters claim gold in their respective categories on Thursday.
Competing in the men’s 65kg division, Hafez Qashqaei – the 2019 world clean & jerk silver medalist – lifted 122kg in the snatch and secured a best clean & jerk of 160kg to take the total gold with 282kg. He finished 11 kilograms clear of Uzbekistan’s Diyorbek Odilov, while Tajikistan’s Faizali Sangov claimed bronze with 201kg.
Meanwhile, Iliya Salehipour, entering the platform after a triple-medal run at the Islamic Solidarity Games earlier this month, posted 155kg in the snatch and 192kg in the clean & jerk for a 344kg total to win a closely contested 88kg event. Uzbekistan’s Bekzod Gofirjonov topped the snatch standings with 156kg but settled for silver with a 341kg total. Turkmenistan’s Ramazan Torayev earned bronze on 316kg.
Former world champion Mirmostafa Javadi marked his long-awaited return from injury – which had kept him out of the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh – with a runner-up finish in the 79kg class. He opened strongly with a 166kg snatch to edge Turkmenistan’s Gaygysyz Torayev by one kilogram. Torayev, however, responded with a 187kg clean & jerk to secure the total gold at 332kg, one kilogram ahead of Javadi. Uzbekistan’s Khayitboy Abdushukurov finished third with lifts of 147–174–321.
Elsewhere, Seyitjan Mirzayev (124-150-274) stood atop the podium in the 60kg division, followed by Sri Lanka’s Liyanagedara Lagas and Tajikistan’s Mustafa Zabirov.
Turkmenistan’s Bunyad Rashidov captured the 71kg title with a 150–165–315 total, while Khusinboy Matrasulov of Uzbekistan took silver with 305kg and Iraq’s Saif Al-Lami earned bronze on 292kg.
Weightlifters from Iran, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia are competing at the four-day tournament in Tehran.
The gold medalist in each weight category receives $1,000 in prize money, with $600 awarded for silver and $400 for bronze.