Yousefi to make international return at Asian Weightlifting Ch’ships
Iranian weightlifter Alireza Yousefi is set to make his first international appearance in 18 months at the upcoming Asian Championships – starting May 12 – as Iran named a superheavyweight duo for the competition in Gandhinagar, India.
Yousefi will be joined by compatriot Alireza Nassiri in the men’s +110kg weight class.
The Asian Championships – postponed by 40 days due to the military conflict in the Middle East – will be part of a busy 2026 calendar for Iranian weightlifting, which also features the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September and October’s World Championships in Ningbo, China.
“We never intended to send the team to the Asian Championships in the first place, and the wartime conditions only added to that decision. Our focus this year is on a powerful performance at the World Championships and the Asian Games. However, following persistent requests from the world and Asian federations, we eventually decided to have a limited presence at the event,” Iran head coach Behdad Salimi said on Monday.
A two-time world junior champion, Yousefi made his senior international debut at the 2024 World Championships in Manama in impressive fashion. He stunned fellow Iranian Alireza Davoudi and Armenian Olympic silver medalist Varazdat Lalayan to claim clean and jerk gold with a continental record lift of 262kg. He went on to secure bronze in the total with 456kg.
The 22-year-old Iranian then had to spend a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to surgery on his injured knee but marked his return to action in style in February, delivering a title-winning performance at the Iranian Weightlifting Pro League.
Yousefi will now look to carry his domestic momentum into the Asian Championships and bolster his case for a place on the Iranian team at the two major tournaments later in the year.
Nassiri, meanwhile, will step onto the platform at the Asian showpiece fresh off a solid display at last year’s World Championships in Førde, Norway, where he bagged clean and jerk and total silvers in the 110kg class, setting new world junior records in the process with 231kg and 415kg.
“Yousefi has been away from international tournaments for nearly two years. That’s why we will send him to the Asian Championships – to get him back into competitive shape,” Salimi said.
“As for Nassiri, he performed poorly in the snatch in his last two competitions, so we decided to send him to the event to help him improve that area of his performance,” added the former Olympic champion.
With the Asian Games and the global showpiece fast approaching, Iranian fans will likely be treated to a thrilling four-horse race in the superheavyweight category for a national team spot, which will also feature Davoudi and 2025 Asian champion Ayat Sharifi.
“Davoudi has been with the team camp from the very beginning. He’s here with us and following the training regimen. After last year’s World Championships, he suffered an injury, which is why we need to take things slowly with him. Fortunately, he’s in good condition, but he still needs time to get back to peak fitness,” Salimi said of the former Olympic silver medalist.