(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Chinthana Wasala |
The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Qatar's Olympic hero Fares Ibrahim 'Messo' Hassouna will take centre stage today when the men's 102kg weight class at the Qatar Cup IWF Grand Prix II unfolds a line-up of world's best weightlifters.
Fares, who made history as Qatar's first-ever Olympic gold medal winner, will be among 12 elite lifters who will be in action in Group A event at Aspire Ladies Hall at 6:00pm.
Among them, China's reigning world champion Liu Huanhua, who won the overall gold in Riyadh in September to book his ticket to the Paris Olympics, leads the star cast in today's event which also includes Belarusian former world and European champion Yauheni Tsikhantsou, who competes as an Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) at the IWF events, and junior world record holder Garik Karapetyan of Armenia.
Fares booked a place in the Paris Games after securing a silver during the World Weightlifting Championships held in Saudi Arabia, adding to his illustrious Olympic journey that began with notable performances in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020.
Qatar Olympic Committee's First Vice President and Qatar, Arab and Asian Weightlifting Federations President Mohammed Yousef Al Mana (second right) with officials and the podium winners of women's 76 kg event.
During the World Championship, the 25-year-old lifted an impressive 218kg in the clean & jerk category after demonstrating his prowess in the snatch by lifting 170kg, securing an overall seventh position in the challenging event which was won by Huanhua.
In Tokyo, Fares set a new Olympic record with a total lift of 402 kg in the men's 96kg final, putting up 177 in the snatch before making a record 225 in the clean and jerk.
Qatar Weightlifting Federation Board Member Ismail Al Qaoud wished Fares success and expressed his delight at the level of competition at the Doha event.
“The sport of weightlifting has witnessed great development in Qatar in recent years, as it was one of the areas that witnessed great improvement in Qatari sports, especially in light of our hero Fares Ibrahim winning the first Olympic gold medal for Qatar during the Tokyo 2020 Games,” Al Qaoud said.
Matyakubov, Jong claim gold medals
Yesterday, Turkmenistan's Shahzadbek Matyakubov emerged as a standout performer in the men's 96 kg category, securing two gold medals in clean and jerk and total weight, in 167-204-371. Armenian Davit Hovhannisyan claimed the gold in the snatch, lifting 170 kg, while finishing with 170-200-370. North Korea's Yang Tae Bong won the silver in clean and jerk, lifting 161-201-362 to also secure the overall bronze medal. Belarusian Petr Asayonak secured the bronze medal in the snatch by lifting 162 kg while finishing sixth overall.
In the women's 76 kg category, Chun Hui Jong showed North Korea's dominance in the Championship once again, winning three gold medals in 115-135-250. Lithuanian Gintare Brazaite won three silver medals with lifts of 100-125-225, while USA's Alexia Gonzalez claimed all three bronze medals, lifting 93-114-207.
Qatar Olympic Committee's first Vice President and Qatar, Arab and Asian Weightlifting Federations President Mohammed Yousef Al Mana presented the medals to the podium winners.
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