Olympic champions Olivia Reeves from the United States and Karlos Nasar from Bulgaria ended Asia’s run of victories in two spectacular sessions at the IWF World Championships in Bahrain.
“You can’t top the Olympics, so this one is going in at number two on my all-time list of favourite competitions,” said Reeves, whose victory at 71kg was her first (senior) world title. It came in the week when she graduated with a degree in sociology.
Nasar had already broken two 89kg world records when he went for another two, in clean and jerk and total, on the final attempt of the day. He got the bar up but his momentum took Nasar too far forward. He dropped 225kg off the platform on to the stage, which held up well in the circumstances.
Karlos Nasar (BUL)
The platform held up well later, too, when a huge crowd of spectators came on to have their photo taken with the obliging champion. He was still posing with them and signing autographs half an hour later.
In making a five-from-six 183-222-405, Nasar bettered the snatch record held by Yeison Lopez from Colombia, and his own mark on total. Those were junior world records too because, amazingly for one who has achieved so much, Nasar is still only 20 years old.
Ro Kwang Ryol from PRK moved up in clean and jerk after his one successful snatch left him ninth at halfway. Ro, 23, made all three to finish second on 162-218-380. He was 4kg short of Tian Tao’s Asian clean and jerk record.
Ro Kwang Ryol (PRK)
Ro clearly enjoyed his time in the spotlight, as did China’s teenaged newcomer Pan Yunhua, who took clean and jerk bronze on 208kg after standing 12th in snatch. Marin Robu from Moldova was second in snatch and third on total on 173-206-379. Sarvarbek Zafarjonov from Uzbekistan took snatch bronze on 171kg and totalled 375kg in fourth place.
Marin Robu (MDA)
In Paris in August, Reeves became the first woman from the United States to stand on top of the Olympic weightlifting podium. Today she repeated a feat no other American lifter has achieved – topping the podium above athletes from PRK and China.
Reeves did it the first time at the IWF World Cup in Thailand in April. Today, both nations fielded different athletes to try to get the better of the American. China preferred debutant Yang Qiuxia to Liao Guifang, who lifts at 81kg here, while PRK swapped its 71kg and 76kg athletes from the World Cup.
Olivia Reeves (USA)
Jong Chun Hui dropped down and did not start well. Jong missed her first two snatches before showing her mental as well as physical strength to make the third.
At halfway in arguably the most entertaining session of the Championships, Yang led on 121kg, Reeves was second on 120kg and Jong third on 116kg. Yang started way lower than the Reeves and Jong in clean and jerk, finishing 121-140-261.
Yang Qiuxia (CHN)
Reeves opened on 143kg, then Jong faltered in clean and jerk too, missing her first two. Making her final attempt was a huge achievement but her two-from-six 116-146-262 was not enough, and Reeves had won with two lifts to spare.
Reeves had apparently been snatching below her best in her preparations, but there was no sign of it. She even wanted to go for the world record on 122kg but her coaches said it was too risky when winning medals was the priority.
She missed her second clean and jerk on 147kg and could have declined her final attempt. Reeves came out again to make it, then skipped off the platform in her usual jaunty style. Her 120-147-267 was only 1kg behind her career best at the end of a gruelling two years in which she lifted in all seven Olympic qualifiers as well as Paris and here in Bahrain.
“I’m so very, very proud of Olivia,” said Mike Gattone, USA’s head of coaching. “She’s just unbelievably consistent.”
Reeves, 21, will not be taking a break from her sport or her studies. Her degree ceremony is on Saturday, and she will take her Masters in public health while continuing her weightlifting career. “Next for me will be The Arnold (American Open) in March and the Pan Ams in July,” she said.
Another athlete doubling up university with weightlifting is Eyglo Sturludottir, who has two and a half years to go before qualifying as a doctor. “I just did an exam before coming here and I’ll be studying on the plane home,” she said.
Eyglo Sturludottir (ISL)
If Jong had missed her final attempt, Eyglo would have won Iceland’s first World Championships medals. She made a career-best 107-132-239 for fourth place, registering an improvement in snatch for the eighth straight competition.
“This is Iceland’s best ever result and I’m very proud of that,” she said. “My country’s population is 300-and-something thousand. For some of these girls, their home town will be bigger than that.”
Colombian athletes took fourth and fifth places. Julieth Rodriguez totalled 238kg and the Paris silver medallist Mari Sanchez was on 236kg.
Asian lifters had won all 10 titles in the first half of the Championships, including eight in a row for PRK. Although their athletes did not win today, PRK has been on the podium in 12 straight medal events with three more chances to come in the women’s 76kg, 81kg and 87kg. The men’s team has finished.
By Brian Oliver
Photos by DBM/Deepbluemedia
