Topic: 2007 Senior Worlds News

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Darkhorse Cha Kum-chol shines among world champions

Cha Kum-chol of DPR Korea surprisingly beat two world champions to win the gold medal in the men's 56kg category at the world weightlifting championships on Tuesday.

Cha, 20, hoisted 128kg in the snatch and 155kg in the clean and jerk to claim victory with a total of 283kg.

"The training condition in my country is hard, and I am so happy that I can win the gold medal," Cha told the press

"I will go to the Beijing Olympics and try to win gold. I want the world champion and the Olympic champion both," he added.

Stepping up to the bar, Cha flung the weight above his head and gripped it there, looking determined and then letting the weight crash to the floor with a big smile stretched across his face.

Two world champions, Li Zheng and Wu Meijin of China, challenged him in the snatch but could not stop him claiming the gold medal in the clean and jerk.

Li, gold medalist in the worlds in 2005 and 2006, hoisted the same weight with Cha, but took the silver because of body weight disadvantage.

"I was disappointed with the silver today," said Li.

"My physical condition was good, but I was a little bit panic in the jerk. That's why I failed in the first two attempts in the jerk."

Eko Yuli Irawan of Indonesia, placed eighth in the worlds last year, took the bronze with 278kg.

Starting training at the age of 13, Cha made his debut in the Asian junior weightlifting championships in 2005, winning the gold medal in the snatch and silver in total.

The active lifter even sung a song to express his happiness in the press conference.

"I love weightlifting and I like singing too," said Cha.

The 27-year-old Wu, silver medalist in the Athens Games, suffered a back injury and gave up the last attempt in the jerk, finishing with a total result of 265kg.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Sonia Chanu at Worlds

CHIANG MAI (Thailand): Sonia Chanu finished 14th in the women’s 48kg category on the opening day of the World weightlifting championships here on Monday.

This is an Olympics qualification event with the total team classification points from last year’s World championships and this meet counting towards quota places for Beijing.

The results: Women: 48kg: 1. Chen Xiexia (Chn) Snatch 96, clean and jerk 118, total 214kg; 2. Pamsiri Bunpphithak (Tha) 86, 110, 196kg; 3. Pensiri Laosirkul (Tha) 83, 112, 195kg; 14. Sonia Chanu (Ind) 70, 98, 168kg.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Weightlifting: Greek men off to good start 

http://hellenicathletes.com/news.php?news_id=357

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Cuban Wins Weight Lifting Title

Havana, Sep 18 (Prensa Latina) Cuban Sergio Alvarez renewed his world weightlifting title Tuesday at the 76th World Championship in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The also Pan Am titlist, Rio de Janeiro, started with 118kg but failed with 124 kg in second and third trials.

Alvarez, 27, began the clean trials with 150 kg, failed his second trial with 156 kg but finally got through and won Cuba's first medal at the event.

He was followed by North Korean Kum Chol Cha (155) and Indonesian Eko Yuli Irawan (154).

China's 2006 World titlist, Li Zheng, won the start with 130 kg, leaving North Korean Kum Chol Cha (128) and Vietnamese Anh Taun Hoang (127).

Kum Chol Cha (283) won the gold in total, with Chinese Zheng (283) and Indonesian Irawan (278) as runners up.

Cuban Adan Rosales (Pool B) was eliminated in 62 Kg in failing trice with 122 kg in start and with 159 Kg in clean.

Cuban Yordanis Borrero (pool B) will compete in 69 kg tomorrow.

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[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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North Korea wins gold weight lifting medal
Chiang Mai - North Korean Cha Kum Chol benefited from his lighter weight to beat defending champion Li Zheng of China for the 56kg overall gold medal in the Royal World Weightlifting Championships yesterday.
By Lerpong Amsangiam

Cha and Li lifted an identical 283kg in total but the former claimed the gold medal due his weight of 54.64kg against 55.69kg of the latter. Indonesian Eko Yuli Irawan of Indonesia took the bronze with a lift of 278kg.

Cha dedicated his gold to his country's leader Kim Jongil with a song, "Without you, there will not be us."

"Our leader loves sports. If he finds out about this [winning the gold], he will be very happy,'' said Cha who finished runnerup in both the snatch with a lift of 128kg and the clean and jerk with 155kg.

The 21-year-old Li lifted 130kg in the snatch to win his third straight World Championships since 2005. But two fouls in his first two attempts in the clean and jerk deprived him of a chance to take the overall title. He had to settle for 153kg in his last attempt.

"I'm a bit disappointed. It was all psychological as I panฌicked on the platform,'' said Li whose shaved head reminded one of a Shaolin monk.

Li's gold was China's fourth. On Monday, Chen Xiexia made a clean sweep of gold in the women's 48kg.

The snatch bronze went to Vietnam's Anh Taun Hoang, who lifted 127kg.

Sergio Alvarez Boulet of Cuba retained his crown in the clean and jerk after lifting 156kg. Indonesian Eko Yuli Irawan's lift of 154kg earned him the bronze

Pongsak Maneetong, the lone Thai in the final, finished 12th in the snatch after lifting 111kg. He lifted 142kg in clean and jerk for ninth and was placed 10th overall.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Rookie Yang clinches triple gold for China
By Martin Petty

CHIANG MAI, Thailand, Sept 19 (Reuters) - China's Yang Fan made a dream international debut on Wednesday when he swept all three gold medals in the men's 62kg category at the world weightlifting championships.

Despite having never competed in an international event, the world number one put on a confident display of lifting, soaking up the pressure of a close contest to win the snatch (142kg) and the clean and jerk (173kg) to take the overall gold medal with a total of 315kg.

North Korea's Im Yong-su matched Yang's lifts but, being the heavier of the two lifters by a mere 140 grams, had to settle for three silver medals.
Bulgaria's Ivaylo Filev picked up three bronzes with 138kg in the snatch and 163 in the clean and jerk for a total of 301kg.

Nineteen-year-old Yang had no problems with motivation, making his biggest lifts with relative ease and letting out an ecstatic roar with both fists clenched.

"I'm very happy to win this. It's my first world championships but the pressure didn't affect me," he told reporters.

"The only pressure I have is that which I put on myself to achieve my goals. I didn't feel that excited because I didn't achieve my overall goal, and that was to reach 320kg."

Yang's triple gold sweep was the second for China in three days of competition after Chen Xiexia won all the golds in the women's 48kg.

China top the medals table with seven golds from nine events.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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China's Yang Fan wins 3 gold medals at Royal World Weightlifting Championships

CHIANG MAI, Thailand: China's Yang Fan scored three gold medals in a dominant debut performance in the 62kg category at the Royal World Weightlifting Championships in Thailand on Wednesday.

The 19-year-old Chinese along with North Korean Im Yong Su both lifted 142kg in the snatch and 173kg in the clean and jerk for a total 315kg. However, Yang's lower weight of 61.65kg against Im's 61.79kg saw him grab triple gold.

Yang's compatriot Qiu Le, the two-time defending champion with whom he shares the world No 1 ranking, was forced out of the contest early after suffering a right elbow injury during his third attempt in the snatch.

"It would have been more difficult if he was in the competition as we have always been equal," said Yang, who finished second after Qiu in the Asian Championships earlier this year in Taian, China.

"I was not excited because I didn't perform my best today. My goal was to achieve 320kg in the total," he added.

Bulgaria's Ivaylo Filev won three bronze medals Wednesday after lifting 138kg in the snatch and 163kg in the clean and jerk for a combined 301kg.

In the mens 69kg category, China's Zhang Guozheng won the clean and jerk and Olympic total. He snatched 155kg to take the silver before lifting a massive 192kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 347kg to grab two golds.

China's Shi Zhingyong won his third consecutive snatch gold medal with a lift of 158kg. His mark of 180kg in the clean and jerk fetched him the overall silver with 338kg. Turkey's Mete Binay lifted 154kg for the snatch bronze. Bulgarian Demir Demirev's overall score of 334kg earned him the overall bronze.

Frenchman Vencelas Dabaya, who won the clean and jerk and total last year, had to settle with one silver in the clean and jerk with a lift of 187kg.

The bronze went to North Korea's Kim Chol Jin.

After three days, China has reaped 10 out of 12 golds.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Cha Kum-chol wins gold in 56kg weightlifting championships

Cha Kum-chol of the DPRK has beaten Li Zheng of China to win gold in the men's 56 kilogram category at the world weightlifting championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Li Zheng hoisted 128 kilos in the snatch and 155 kilos in the clean and jerk. Cha Kum-chol hoisted the same weight to claim victory with a total of 283 kilos, with less body weight. But Li Zheng managed to win the snatch gold by hoisting 130 kilos.

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