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Liu Huanhua from China broke two world records and built a big lead in the Olympic rankings with the final lift of a memorable day at the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand.
Another highlight was a jump of 18 places by Davranbek Hasanbayev from Turkmenistan in a B Group that produced four medallists. There was good news for the United States too, when results went right for Wes Kitts to qualify with the continental slot.
Before today, nobody had beaten the 102kg world standards set in 2018 when new weight categories were introduced. Liu made a 7kg jump to 232kg for his last attempt and made it to claim world records in clean and jerk and total on 181-232-413.
Liu Huanhua (CHN)
That gives him the biggest lead over his nearest challenger in all five men’s categories for Paris 2024. After a day of many ranking changes the nearest challenger is 20-year-old Garik Karapetyan from Armenia.
Karapetyan was not in the simplified lists – one athlete per nation – when the four 102kg sessions started here. In making 185-216-401 before declining his final attempt, the triple junior world champion knocked out his older team-mate Samvel Gasparyan.
Garik Karapetyan (ARM)
Lesman Paredes made a successful return to the platform after an absence of 483 days. “I’m very pleased with that,” he said after making 186-212-398 in fourth place, improving his best total by 1kg. The Bahrain lifter made three lifts and declined three.
“I had two elbow surgeries last year, in March and July, so this was a good comeback, especially as I didn’t want to take any risks before Paris,” he said.
Half of the top 10 finishers came from the B Group, which was won by Yauheni Tsikhantsou. The Individual Neutral Athlete from Belarus made 183-214-400 for third place, up 2kg on his previous best, but he was not happy.
“I wanted more, I know I have more in me,” he said after failing with a final attempt at 225kg. “I will do better in Paris.”
Lesman Paredes (BRN)
Don Opeloge from Samoa took silver in clean and jerk and moved up to qualify in 10th place, the best effort by a male lifter from Oceania in all categories. He made 170-221-391.
Bekdoolot Rasulbekov from Kyrgyzstan won clean and jerk bronze on 220kg but did not qualify. He made only one snatch of 165kg. Others who failed to make it included Reza Dehdar from Iran and Tudor Bratu from Moldova, who had started the day in the top 10.
The Olympic 96kg gold medallist Meso Hassona from Qatar, who ended the day third in the rankings, withdrew after weigh-in. He suffered an abductor injury in training here last week and expects to be out of action for two to three weeks.
Davranbek Hasanbayev (TKM)
The top 10 in ranking order were: Liu, Karapetyan, Meso, Akbar Djuraev from Uzbekistan, who lifts at 109kg here on Wednesday, Tsikhantsou, Jang Yeonhak from Korea, Paredes, Hasanbayev, Irakli Chkheidze from Georgia and Opeloge.
Kitts did not lift because of a hip injury. He could have been overtaken by Jhonatan Rivas, who has also had injury problems, but the Colombian bombed out in clean and jerk, leaving Kitts 14th in the rankings. When Opeloge made the top 10, the continental place went to Kitts as the highest-ranked Pan American lifter.
Hasanbayev made the biggest rankings move to date in the World Cup, which ends on Thursday. He punched the air, screamed and kissed the barbell after jumping from 26th place to eighth on 187-205-392. He won gold in snatch.
“It’s a great feeling, not just for me but for everybody in the team,” Hasanbayev said. He was full of praise for his coaches for their strategy in bringing about a 19kg improvement on his best total.
In the two months since the Asian Championships, where he was 27kg lower on 365kg, Hasanbayev had “trained very hard without a break, keeping to a very strict daily schedule of when I train, sleep, eat”.
The biggest factor, he said, was putting on weight. “I had always trained at 99 to 100 kilos because I had trouble getting up to 102. The coaches said I had to be heavier. I went up to 104-105 kilos, I stayed there and I trained much better.
“Inshallah now I can win a medal in Paris. If I keep training like I did for the last two months I really believe it”.
Jong Chun Hui (PRK)
DPR Korea had its eighth winner of the week when the Asian Games silver medallist Jong Chun Hui had her third straight success at 76kg. Jong missed her first and last attempts in making 114-145-259, a very respectable total given her weight.
Although she competes at 76kg, Jong weighed less than 70kg at the Asian Games, where there was no 71kg category. She was only a few grams over 71kg when she won the Qatar Grand Prix and the Asian title, and again today.
Marie Fegue, France’s top hope for the Olympics who is ranked in the top 10 at 71kg and 81kg, was second on 115-130-245. Fegue appeared to start her third snatch after the clock had run down but there was no jury review.
Miyareth Mendoza took bronze for Colombia on 106-134-240. Shania Bedward from Canada made a career-best 102-132-234 in fourth.
By Brian Oliver
Photos by Giorgio Scala/Deepbluemedia
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