2026 African Open Championships:
Iranian para powerlifters grab four medals in Oran
Iranian para powerlifters Alireza Izadi and Mahdiyeh Mohammadian grabbed four medals between them at the latest regional Open Championships event of the season in Oran, Algeria.
Competing in the men’s -59kg weight class, Izadi posted three successful efforts, with his final lift of 183kg securing the bronze medal for the Iranian.
Egypt’s Mohamed Elmenyawy claimed the gold medal with a best lift of 209kg – one kilogram clear of Iraqi silver medalist Mustafa Radhi.
However, an overall tally of 542kg saw Izadi win the total gold medal, with Nigeria’s Ibrahim Dauda (522kg) and Egypt’s Mohamed Abdalla Elhout (512kg) settling for silver and bronze, respectively.
In the women’s -55kg competition, meanwhile, Mohammadian also registered three successful lifts (95-102-105) to finish with bronze – behind Egypt’s Nawal Ramadan (123kg) and Nigeria’s Esther Oyema (122kg).
Mohammadian then secured the total silver with 302kg, finishing behind Ramadan, who tallied 359kg, with Morocco’s Meryem Hamouich finishing third on 177kg.
Featuring more than 150 contestants from 20 countries, the event marks the third regional championships in this year’s four-event series, following the European Open Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, and the Asia-Oceania Open Championships in Bangkok, Thailand, held over the past two months. The Pan American Championships are scheduled to take place later this year.
With the regional championships forming a mandatory part of the LA28 Paralympic qualification pathway, athletes will be aiming to secure valuable ranking points and set new continental benchmarks ahead of other major events in 2026, including the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Great Britain.