Topic: 2007 Senior Worlds News

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Link

Chinese weightlifting coaches call for younger squad for Olympics

China underlined its strength in weightlifting by grabbing seven gold medals out of all 15 on offer at the world championships, though coaches called for a younger squad for next year's Olympic Games amid concerns over injuries.

Qiu Le, a two-time world champion in 2005 and 2006, injured his right elbow when competing in the men's 62kg class. Another lifter Wu Meijin, Olympic silver medalist in the men's 56kg category, was struggling with waist injury since he arrived in Chiang Mai, a northern Thai city.

Both were forced to quit the jerk event and returned home earlier on Sunday.

Furthermore, Lu Yong strained his left ankle when competing in the men's 85kg division. He was finally placed seventh among ten lifters in the Group A.

Three cases made Chinese power men embarrassed though they have won the gold medals for the total in the 62kg and 69kg classes.

"We had also expected the gold medals in the 56kg and 77kg classes and a medal in 85kg," Chen Wenbin, the head coach of the Chinese men's team told Xinhua.

Asian champion Li Hongli finished with a bronze medal in the men's 77kg category.

Consultants from the Chinese Weightlifting Association (CWA) urged the national team to give rookie lifters more chances to compete in international events.

"There are a lot of promising young lifters in the national team now. What they need is not the ability but the chances to show their power," said Zhao Qingkui, former head coach of Chinese men's team.

"If these veterans suddenly get injured just ahead of the Olympics, what shall we do then? We must renew the team now for the Beijing Olympics," he added.

Chinese weightlifters did a good job in the worlds as they clinched five gold medal of total from all eight categories.

However, they dare not slow down their rhythm in training as the Beijing Olympics is less than a year away.

"I'm satisfied with their performance, but I am still worried with the progress that the foreign opponents have made," said Ma Wenguang, the president of the CWA.

"Girls from South Korea, Russia and Thailand are really strong now, and they are our main opponents in the Olympics," Ma said.

"We will not ignore or give up any category and China will choose the best female lifters to compete in the Olympics and winning four gold medal on offer is our goal," he added.

Five world records fell in the Chiang Mai worlds. Russian girls bettered the previous mark in the 69kg and 75kg classes, while Chinese equaled the feat in two other categories.

Rybakou Andrei of Belarus was the only male lifter who shattered a world record _ in the snatch in the men's 85kg division.

Altogether 245 female and 388 male lifters from 89 countries and regions competed in eight categories for men and seven categories for women at the championships.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Link

China's Li Ping grabs gold for clean and jerk and Olympic total

CHIANG MAI, Thailand - China's Li Ping brushed aside her poor form in the snatch to take two gold medals in the clean and jerk and Olympic total in the World Weightlifting Championships women's 53kg category on Thursday.

Li had to settle for just 93kg after failing to lift a 96kg in her last two attempts to take the bronze. But her outstanding mark of 126kg in the clean and jerk and a combined weight of 219kg propelled her to the top spot.

The Chinese teenager even went for the biggest challenge in her life by requesting 134kg in the clean and jerk in an attempt to set a new total world record of 227kg, but failed.

"I was just half-confident when I tried to break the record. The purpose was to go beyond my limit," said Li, from Hunan, who aims at taking part in the Olympics.

"The Olympics is everybody's dream. I want to be in the Games, but I'm not sure if I will be selected for the Olympics team," said the world record holder - at 129kg - in the clean and jerk.

South Korean Yoon Jin-hee was a surprise winner in the snatch after lifting 94kg, the same as Nastassia Novikava of Belarus. But Yoon's lighter body weight of 52.61kg compared to her rival's 52.83kg placed her atop the winner's podium.

Li Ping took the bronze despite the same lift of 93kg by Prapawadee Jaroenrattnatarakoon of Thailand. But Ping weighed 52.70kg which was a shade lighter than the Thai's 52.85kg

Novikava lifted 119kg in the clean and jerk for the overall 213kg to take the silvers. Yoon finished third in both categories, lifting 117kg in the clean and jerk for a total 211kg.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Link

Latvia's Scerbatihs lifts gold in weightlifting worlds

Viktors Scerbatihs of Latvia claimed the gold medal in the men's over 105kg category at the world weightlifting championships here on Wednesday.

Scerbatihs, who finished fourth in the 2006 worlds, established a silce advantage in the snatch as he lifted 202kg, 1kg more than nearest rival Evgeny Chigishev of Russia.

Three Herculeses, including Scerbatihs and Chigishev, hoisted 240kg in the clean and jerk, and with his advantage in the snatch, the 33-year-old Scerbatihs grabbed the gold (442kg).

Chigishev, 28, had to settle for the silver (441kg) and Jaber Saeed Salem of Qatar had the bronze (435kg).

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Link

Weightlifting-China's Mu breaks world record

BANGKOK: China's Mu Shuangshuang on Wednesday broke a world record for the total lifted in the women's 75kg category at the world weightlifting championships in Chiang Mai on Wednesday.

Click to enlarge
[attachthumb=1]
Mu Shuangshuang of China lifts
the bar to win the gold medal
in the women's 75kg snatch
[Xinhua]

The 23-year-old lifted 139kg to win gold in the snatch, and hoisted 180kg in the clean and jerk to set a new world record of 319kg in total.

South Korea's Jang Mi-Ran, the previous world record holder, also lifted 319kg but only after Mu, meaning the Chinese lifter is the new record holder.

However the South Korean won gold in the aggregate because she is lighter than Mu - weighing 115kg (253 pounds).

Mu, who weighs more than 135kg, took silver in the aggregate category.

"Anyway, this is a good result for me," said Mu. "I am happy to showcase my best form and I didn't leave any regret for myself this time in Thailand."

Olha Korobka of Ukraine hoisted 126kg in the snatch and 155 in the clean and jerk to claim the bronze medal overall.

Jang, the 2004 Olympic silver medallist, snatched 138kg to win the silver medal and lifted 181kg for the clean and jerk gold to set a new mark of 319kg for the total.

The 23-year-old improved her own world record, set in May last year in Wonju, by 1kg to claim her third consecutive world title.

Earlier yesterday, Viktors Scerbatihs won the men's 105 kg gold medal.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Link

China play down talk of Olympics gold rush
By Martin Petty

CHIANG MAI, Thailand Sept 27 (Reuters) - China says a weightlifting whitewash at next year's Beijing Olympics is highly unlikely despite winning close to half the titles at the world championships.

Even with a host of new faces and notable absentees, China managed to repeat their 2006 world championships feat by winning 21 of the 45 gold medals up for grabs in Chiang Mai.

However, their coaches are reluctant to show their cards ahead of Beijing, insisting their current team is the finest they have to offer and no big guns will be wheeled out next year.

"This is our best team -- it's the best we've had for two years, and nobody is missing," senior coaches He Cheng told Reuters.

"But the Olympic team is not set in stone. We have more time for more training and preparation. We don't know if this will be the Olympic team. It may change a little, it might change a lot."

Mah Wenhui, the head coach of the women's team, said that even with home advantage next year, China had could not expect an avalanche of gold medals.

"China has reached its limit here, we won't be able to emulate this in Beijing," he told reporters.

"It will be difficult to improve on this. We have to maintain what we have, and that will be very, very difficult."

CHINA DOMINANT

China have dominated weightlifting for the last decade and won 10 of the 15 titles available at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha.

At the 2004 Athens Olympics, with the number events restricted to 15, China won a third of the gold medals on offer.

World records tumbled so often at the 1998 Asian Games that the secretary general of the International Weightlifting Federation Tomas Ajan complained that China was making the sport one-sided and predictable.

Zhao Qingkui, former head coach of Chinese men's team, said that despite further gold medals and world records from the more experienced lifters this week, the Olympic focus should be on its youngsters, suggesting China may have more in store next year.

"There are a lot of promising young lifters in the national team now...what they need is not the ability but the chance to show their power," China's Xinhua news agency quoted him as saying.

"(But) if these veterans suddenly get injured just ahead of the Olympics, what shall we do then? We must renew the team now for the Beijing Olympics."

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Link

Turan Mirzayev: The world championship’s burden fell on me

“I was not pleased with my results in the world championship”, the national weightlifting team member Turan Mirzayev was quoted as saying.

Turan Mirzayev said he did not risk in the qualified world championship held in Thailand from 17 to 26 September.

“Our main goal was to score as many points as possible. So I did not risk. Nizami Pashayev missed the championship and the rest are not strong.

That is why the whole weight fell on me. I risked at the end and tried myself in 186 kg. If I succeeded I would gain bronze”.

The world championship bronze medallist, 26-year old athlete said he was sure of gaining medal in the Olympic Games.

“There will be individual competitions in the Summer Olympic Games. I will compete to gain medal. I will be able to risk in the Beijing Olympic games”.

He added that there is need for Nizami Pashayev in the team. “If Nizami was not banned we would show better results”.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Link

Strongman of Latvian politics

CHIANG MAI - Latvian athlete Viktors Scerbatihs won the world weightlifting title in the super-heavyweight category in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Sep 26.

That's an impressive achievement in its own right, but even more so when you learn that Scerbatihs' also holds down a day job as a member of parliament.

The 33-year old member of the Greens' and Farmers Union became world champion with a combined 442 kilos, lifting 202 kilos in the snatch and 240 kilos in the clean and jerk. His closest rival, Russian Yevgeny Chigishev, trailed Scerbatihs by one kilo when he retired from the competition.

Ukrainian weightlifter Artyom Udachin took bronze with a combined 436 kilos.

Scerbatihs won the individual snatch, and claimed bronze in the clean and jerk. Chigishev and Qatari former world champion Jaber Saeed Salem also lifted 240 kilos in the jerk but Chigishev, the lightest of the three, took the gold medal.

In April, Scerbatihs won the European championships with a combined 445 kilos. Scerbatihs' 2007 world title is the greatest achievement in the Latvian history of weightlifting since the restoration of independence.

Scerbatihs' previous achievements include second place (445 kg) in the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004, as and third place (445 kg) in the 2003 world weightlifting championships. His personal best is the Latvian record weight of 465 kilos (205+260).

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Link

Jang Eyes New Mark
By Kang Seung-woo

Three-time weightlifting world champion Jang Mi-ran has eyed a new ambition.

Click to enlarge
[attachthumb=1]
Three-time reigning weightlifting world champion Jang Mi-ran shows her medals,
won at the World Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Wednesday
on her arrival at the Incheon International Airport. The 23-year-old
improved her former world record by one kilogram to 319.
Photo by Yonhap


It is improving her own world record.

``I need to have good hands at both snatch and clean and jerk once I have set my goal at a total of 330 kilograms,'' the 23-year-old said on her arrival at the Incheon International Airport on Friday morning.

She bettered her former world record by one kilogram by totaling 319 kilograms, 139 in the snatch and 180 in the clean and jerk, at the World Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Wednesday.

Jang and her arch foe Mu Shuangshuang of China lifted the total record of 319 kgs there, but Jang won her third consecutive title thanks to her body weight advantage. Jang weighs 115 kilograms and Mu is 20 kgs heavier.

``As Mu is a tough opponent to beat, I was worried about it,'' she said. ``Whenever I face her, I would try to stay focused on achieving my goal rather than defeating her. It worked again this time.

``One week before the competition, I hurt my back, but I had hard rehabilitation and reinforcement training during the assigned time, which was helpful to my recovery. At the championships, my manager and coach directed me depending on the circumstances and I tried not to fail at every trial.''

Jang has already set her sight on a gold medal in the Beijing Olympics next year.

``Of course, I want to win gold,'' she said. ``Thorough preparation will help improve my record.''

She will compete at the National Sports Festival to be held in Gwangju next month.

``The National Sports Festival is a contest like others,'' Jang, who will represent Gyeonggi Province, said. ``I will do my best, setting up my own strategy and training up to it.''