The 2014 World Championships: Part 2

The Men

56 kg Class

OM Yun Chol (PRK). Charniga photo.

The pretenders of this class were: LONG Qingquan (CHN), LI Fabin (CHN), OM Yun Chol (PRK) and THACH Kim Tuan (VIE).

This class featured two Olympic champions OM (2012) and LONG (2008). OM Yun Chol (PRK) opened with 124 with a big hop forward and a miss. Hopping forward again with 124, OM forced himself very low to fix the weight. Starting from a low squat, OM Yun Chol (PRK), hopped forward under 128 before running forward to save it. THACH Kim Tuan (VIE) opened with a hop back and one continuous motion 130. The 2008 Olympic champion at 18, LONG Qingquan (CHN) pulled and sat with 130 for no lift. LI Fabin (CHN) dragged 130 off the floor, sitting very low for his 1st.

LONG Qingquan (CHN). Charniga photo



LONG Qingquan (CHN) pulled and sat again with 130; this time he waited to make sure it was secure before standing. He pulled long and hard with 133 hitting the low squat like a rock before standing. THACH Kim Tuan (VIE) made another fast, low squat, single movement lift to equal his junior world record 134. LI Fabin (CHN) dragged 134 slowly, but he sat very low with the bar barely clearing his head for another good lift at 134.

In all probability, the man to beat in Rio THACH Kim Tuan (VIE) made another excellent, very low squat, briefly pausing at the bottom, with a new junior world record 135. Even accounting for height differential, LI Fabin (CHN) raised 135 to the lowest height of this session, struggled to get his balance, started up, sank back down while struggling for control before dropping the weight forward.

THACH Kim Tuan (VIE). Charniga photo



THACH Kim Tuan (VIE), seven kilos in the lead over OM, opened with 156. After a good clean he jerked it to arms length, only to have his left arm unlock. He made a smoother clean with the same weight, followed by a fast wide split in the jerk. LI Fabin (CHN) dragged 157 to his chest, struggled to stand before jerking with a fast, wide split. LONG Qingquan (CHN), who clean and jerked 169 at the 2009 Chinese National Games, cleaned 160 with a hop forward, then jerking with almost no pause in the starting position. THACH Kim Tuan (VIE) hopped back, bounced twice in the low squat before standing with 161. He split fast and very wide, recovering carefully to take a commanding lead with a new junior world record in the total. OM Yun Chol (PRK) took 162 to reduce THACH’s lead to seven. Hopping forward, he seemed to have the jerk, only to drop it in front. LI Fabin (CHN) dragged 162 slowly without near enough speed to shoulder the weight.

OM Yun Chol (PRK). Charniga photo



OM Yun Chol (PRK), who had overcome another deficit to THACH only six weeks earlier, cleaned 162 faster and with more pop; he managed to secure the weight while struggling with the bar shifting slightly forward and backwards in the overhead position. LI Fabin (CHN) pulled 162 much better on his third, racking it satisfactorily but was unable to stand with the weight. Now it was up to LONG who was in the driver’s seat with a five kilo lead over OM and a big clean and jerk.

LONG Qingquan (CHN) took a modest increase to 163 pulling it as high as he could; he stood well from the clean; jerking without a pause, he dropped the barbell when his bent back knee crumpled. Without first place on the line LONG Qingquan (CHN) struggled to stand with 163; shaking, he jerked the weight way forward with no chance for success.

OM Yun Chol (PRK) had one attempt to repeat his come from behind performance at the Asian Games. He needed 168, the old world record of Halil Mutlu (TUR) until he raised it to 170 kg. This time he focused intently before cleaning the weight with a fast descent and a hop forward clean which was followed by his best jerk of the night. He then dropped to the floor before walking off, clearly spent by the second come from behind all out effort in six weeks.

62 kg Class

The pretenders of this class were: DING Jianjun (CHN), KIM UN Guk (PRK) and Irawan Yuli, (INA).

Irawan Yuli (INA). Charniga photo.



Irawan Yuli (INA) hopped back with 136, dropping it in front. He had to take a couple of steps forward to fix 136 on his 2nd for a good lift. DING Jianjun (CHN) got 140 overhead all right before his heels raised which caused him to drop the weight. He sat in the low squat for a couple of seconds on his repeat with 140 for a good lift.

Irawan Yuli (INA) hopped back, squatting very low with a good 141. DING Jianjun (CHN) hopped back, sitting very low, paused a few seconds before standing with 142 and temporarily going into the lead. The world record holder at 154, Olympic and world champion KIM UN Guk (PRK) hopped forward, walked forward for several steps, shaking with his opener at 145. Showing he is only human, like the rest of the Asian Games champions at this competition, KIM hopped forward as he dropped his next with 150. Applying the force of will expected of a champion, KIM forced his body very low, turning his wrists back as far as they would go to fix his 3rd with 150.

KIM UN Guk (PRK). Charniga photo

DING Jianjun (CHN) sat very low and stood very erect, making a fast split jerk with his opener at 165. Irawan Yuli (INA) hopped back, jerking 165 in a forward lean with. KIM UN Guk (PRK) cleaned 170 with the bar sliding a little off his chest before jerking with a fast split. DING Jianjun (CHN) struggling to clean 170 and jerked it powerfully. Despite a single movement, easy clean with 171, Irawan Yuli, (INA) leaned too far forward on the jerk to fix the barbell. DING Jianjun (CHN) pulled 173 to his chest but was unable to stand with it.

KIM UN Guk (PRK). Charniga photo.



Already the world champion, KIM UN Guk (PRK) struggled a little with the clean before jerking strong with 174. Irawan Yuli (INA) seemingly cleaned 175 with ease, jerked the weight forward with obvious press out but still got three white lights. KIM UN Guk (PRK) went to 175 for the gold in the jerk. A smooth clean and powerful jerk earned him all three golds.

69 kg Class

The pretenders of this class were: Mahmoud Mohamed (EGY), LIAO Hui (CHN) and KIM Myong Hyok (PRK).

Mahmoud Mohamed (EGY). Charniga photo



Mahmoud Mohamed (EGY) hopped back, dropping fast and very low to fix 145 on slightly bent arms. He made the next attempt at 149, in the same manner but probably a little faster. KIM Myong Hyok (PRK), another athlete who waged a fierce fight at the Asian Games, sat fast and very low with 149 before losing it forward. KIM had to follow himself even though he jumped to 152; he managed to secure it despite his left heel raising from the floor. Mahmoud Mohamed (EGY), bent arms and all, forced himself very low before standing with an excellent 152. LIAO Hui (CHN), with adhesive tape above and below each knee overtop elastic bandages, made a smooth hop back lift with 155. KIM Myong Hyok (PRK) pulled hard and fast with 156, but he was not close to fixing it overhead.

LIAO Hui (CHN) had 160 up in the low squat before his right arm unlocked, earning him three red lights. Unperturbed, he went to 166 to break one of the oldest records on the books, Georgie Markov’s 165 set at the 2000 Olympics. After standing for quite some time at the chalk box he finally approached the barbell, pulled fast, dropped under it quickly with right arm unlocking (slightly) once again which he straightened it fast for a new world record. He seemed to be having problems locking his elbows and squaring his shoulders with the barbell overhead, not a good sign for someone who was an Olympic champion in 2008.

KIM Myong Hyok (PRK). Charniga photo



Mahmoud Mohamed (EGY) pulled hard with 177, only to have the weight crash on him, dropping it in front. He corrected this on his second by setting to jerk with hands wide open; he scissored his feet very fast. KIM Myong Hyok (PRK) made a fast clean and an explosive jerk with 182. Mahmoud Mohamed (EGY) cleaned 182; he jerked leaning forward for a good lift before dropping to floor screaming from what appeared to be a hamstring pull. KIM Myong Hyok (PRK) cleaned his 2nd with 184 easier than his first before inexplicably jerking the weight forward. Following himself with another very fast, easy clean with 184, he false started the jerk for no lift.

LIAO Hui (CHN). Charniga photo.



LIAO Hui (CHN) stood with his opener at 185 with incredible ease, jerking it awkwardly to capture the gold. Cleaning 193 again with ridiculous ease, LIAO jerked it with the bar rocking back and forth for a new world record total 359.

77 kg Class

The pretenders of this class were: Godelli Daniel (ALB), Qermij Erkand (ALB), ZHONG Guoshun (CHN) and KIM Kwang Song (PRK).

Qermij Erkand (ALB) hopped back to fix 156 on slightly bent arms. He lifted a modest increase to 158 with a big hop back, recovering slowly. Erkand had 160 up with his big hop backard, but his right elbow and shoulder would not lock, dropping the barbell in front. KIM Kwang Song (PRK) started from a low squat with 162; he hopped forward, dropping the weight forward. Godelli Daniel (ALB), who had made only 157 at the Europeans in April, opened with a fast pull, a fast drop, to fix 163 although his elbows do not fully straighten.

KIM Kwang Song (PRK). Charniga photo



KIM Kwang Song (PRK) made a big hop forward, forcing himself very low jumping to 163. ZHONG Guoshun (CHN) opened with a smooth hop back lift at 166. Godelli Daniel (ALB) hopped forward sinking low, very fast with 167. KIM Kwang Song (PRK) had 168 up well; he started to lose it forward in the recovery before running off the platform. ZHONG Guoshun (CHN) made a slow pull and hop back squat with 171. Godelli Daniel (ALB) sank into the lowest squat he could muster, pausing several long seconds before he stood with 171 which was fourteen kilos more than he had made in Tel Aviv.

ZHONG Guoshun (CHN). Charniga photo



Going for gold in the snatch, ZHONG Guoshun (CHN) sat very low with 172, rocking back, shifting forward, before drifting too far back.

KIM Kwang Song (PRK) looked to be buried with his opener at 190. He sat very low, started to stand, went all the way back down, stood strictly vertical, to split wide and fast. Very, very, few males would have been able to jerk a weight after such a prolonged struggle. Qermij Erkand (ALB) hopped back, struggled to stand with 191, before slowly losing the jerk as his right arm unlocked. He jumped to 192 cleaning it slowly but jerking way in front. Increasing the weight again, Erkand just did a pull with 193.

Godelli Daniel (ALB). Charniga photo



Stopping 195 at about parallel in the clean, Godelli Daniel (ALB) jerked it quickly with bent elbows, his left shoulder quivering. KIM Kwang Song (PRK) cleaned 195 with a big hop forward much faster than his 190, making a wide, fast split jerk. ZHONG Guoshun (CHN) slowly dragged 196 to his chest only to dump it in front. Looking like a completely different lifter, ZHONG cleaned 196 jerking it with a fast wide split. Godelli Daniel (ALB) jerked 198 slowly, crudely with bent arms after sinking only to parallel in the clean. KIM Kwang Song (PRK) hopped forward sinking very low before recovering with 200; he jerked it quickly with a wide split. ZHONG Guoshun (CHN) sat back, shifting forward with 201; he ground out of the squat, jerking way forward with no chance of success.

Godelli Daniel (ALB), who clean and jerked only 192 at the 2014 Europeans, tried to do what four others since 2009 have attempted: to exceed the 210 world record in this class. He struggled to clean 211 without a prayer to jerk it. With his 171 snatch and his 369 total, Godelli Daniel (ALB) became the first Albanian world champion in any sport.

85 kg Class

The actual pretenders of this class were: Rostami Kianoush (IRI), Okulov Artem (RUS), Aukhadov Apti (RUS), TIAN Tao (CHN) and Markov Ivan (BUL).

TIAN Tao (CHN) almost power snatched his opener with 165. Aukhadov Apti (RUS) hopped forward sinking fast with 169. Okulov Artem (RUS) had to walk forward a few steps to fix 170. TIAN Tao (CHN) sank lower but not particularly deep with his 2nd at 170. Rostami Kianoush (IRI) opened with a fast, hop forward 173. Aukhadov Apti (RUS) hopped forward hitting the deep squat extremely fast with 173. Markov Ivan (BUL) hopped back slightly for an easy lift at 174. Okulov Artem (RUS) needed only one step forward with his second with 174.

Markov Ivan (BUL). Charniga photo



TIAN Tao (CHN) had 175 up before it drifted backwards too far. Aukhadov Apti (RUS) accelerated so slowly with 175 it had no chance of getting over his head. Rostami Kianoush (IRI) hopped forward with 176, flipping his writs back as well as sitting very low to maximize body movement around the weight. Markov Ivan (BUL), who does nothing special except make a very high percentage of his attempts, pulled 177 up and back so far he had to step backwards two steps to save it.

Okulov Artem (RUS). Charniga photo.



Okulov Artem (RUS) pulled too long, so he just sat, dumping the weight in front. Rostami Kianoush (IRI) hopped forward quite a bit, sitting very low with wrists turned back for maximum depth at 178. Markov Ivan (BUL) jumped to 179; this time he had to step forward to save it, moving into first place. Although third in snatch but 20th in jerk, Rybakau (BLR) was not a factor in this class.

TIAN Tao (CHN). Charniga photo



TIAN Tao (CHN), who had equaled the world record 218 six weeks earlier, opened with hop forward squat jerk of 205. Okulov Artem (RUS) hopped forward to clean 205, jerking it slightly forward for a good lift. Aukhadov Apti (RUS) Russian pulled 205 with a hop forward, without re- arranging his feet, push pressed the weight as be bent into a half squat. Markov Ivan (BUL) hopped back, scissored his feet while shifting the barbell up and back for a good jerk with 207.

Rostami Kianoush (IRI) hopped forward under 211, stood with no problem, but he jerked so sloppily that he had to do a 180° turn to the right without ever gaining sufficient control to be good lift. TIAN Tao, (CHN) in a déjà vu all over again, cleaned 211 well, before dropping into a squat without sufficient counterbalancing effort to arch the back; the barbell floated forward. Lifting with more strength than skill, Okulov Artem (RUS), one of a number of Russians to undergo back surgery recently, cleaned 211 but jerking not particularly fast.

Rostami Kianoush (IRI).Charniga photo.



Hopping back slightly to clean, Markov Ivan (BUL), jerked 211 with the bar resting on his finger tips. Trying too hard, Rostami Kianoush (IRI) hopped forward and dumped 212. Aukhadov Apti (RUS) did a pull with 213. Facing elimination, Rostami Kianoush (IRI) hopped forward with 213, bounced a couple of times before jerking from the finger tips; this time with no 180° turn. Aukhadov Apti (RUS) another Russian with a back problem, barely managed to shoulder 213 before dumping it. Markov Ivan (BUL), needing 214 to move back into first, pulled it to his chest all right only to lose his balance and fall backwards. Okulov Artem RUS) cleaned 218 with such a struggle that he did not have enough left to secure the weight in the jerk.

TIAN Tao (CHN) now would try to best the 17 year old jerk record of 218 which he had equaled six weeks earlier. After a not too taxing clean, TIAN dropped down into a good squat position to fix the barbell in the jerk, but that was only the half of it; he dumped it forward.

94 kg Class

The pretenders of this class were: Zielinski Adrian (POL), Sedov Vladimir (KAZ), Kireez Renat (RUS), and Kydyrbayev Zhassulyn (KAZ).

Kireez Renat (RUS) hopped forward not settling into a deep squat with 169. He made another fast hop forward lift with 174. Twenty two year old newcomer to the Kazakh national team, Kydyrbayev Zhassulyn (KAZ) hopped back at 175 with a slight press out. Starting with relatively high hips at 175, Zielinski Adrian (POL) pulled very well but did not settle into a low squat to fix the weight, thus dropping it forward. He pulled harder on his next with this weight with the same result. Kireez Renat (RUS) hopped forward further than his previous attempts with 176, sinking lower to go three for three in the snatch. Zielinski Adrian (POL) had 176 up briefly, but it popped out of his grasp as he hit the low point of the squat.

Starting from a deep squat, Kydyrbayev Zhassulyn (KAZ) forced himself under a 179 second attempt. Lifting in a zip up the back suit that would not zip up the back, Sedov Vladimir (KAZ) ripped 180 overhead with a hop forward. Kydyrbayev Zhassulyn (KAZ) had 182 up, but he had to chase the weight forward until he ran out of platform. Sedov Vladimir (KAZ) hopped back to fix 185 with right elbow unlocking; yet he received three whites. He forced himself very low with 188, fixed on bent arms, to move into first in the snatch.

Kireez Renat (RUS) cleaned 211 with a hop forward before wasting time and effort switching to a thumb less grasp; he dropped the weight in front. He managed to hold the next weight with 214 with a run forward. Kydyrbayev Zhassulyn (KAZ) cleaned 215 with a struggle, but he jerked it explosively.

Sedov Vladimir (KAZ). Charniga photo

Sitting on what seemed to be an insurmountable lead after the snatch, Sedov Vladimir (KAZ) had to chase 215 forward as he stood from the clean; rearranging his grip, he jerked it hopelessly forward. He cleaned it much better on his next with the same weight before jerking with barely a pause. Cleaning with a big lean forward, Sedov Vladimir (KAZ) went right to the jerk at 219 for what seemed a sure gold medal. Kydyrbayev Zhassulyn (KAZ) hopped back standing without a lot of strain before jerking wide and fast with 221. Going for the gold in the jerk, Kireez Renat (RUS) cleaned 224 with a hop forward; he flipped the bar up to get a thumb less grasp but jerked the bar way in front.

When it seemed the class was already decided, Kydyrbayev Zhassulyn (KAZ) appeared with 229 to make up a huge 9 kilo, plus bodyweight gap in the snatch. Pulling the weight to what was probably the minimal height and still be able to fix the bar at the chest; he struggled to stand. However, his ace in the hole is an excellent jerk from the chest and that was decisive with a wide fast split jerk and he was the new champion.

105 kg Class

The pretenders of this class were: Ilyn Ilya (KAZ), Barari Mohammadrez (IRI), Bedzhanyan David (RUS) and Nurudinov Ruslan (UZB).

Bedzhanyan David (RUS) pulled 180 overhead smoothly, taking a step forward before lowering. Ilyn Ilya (KAZ) dropped very low, extremely fast under 183 before taking two steps forward. Nurudinov Ruslan (UZB), taking a slightly narrower hand spacing than normal, hopped back with an easy 185. Bedzhanyan David (RUS) sat slowly, pressing out 185 but still receiving white lights. Ilyn Ilya (KAZ) performed another lightening drop under with his second at 187. Bedzhanyan David (RUS) made his third bent arm, slow snatch with 187. Nurudinov Ruslan (UZB) hopped back only to step forward with 190 to get it under control. Ilyn Ilya (KAZ) was lucky to save 190 after running forward several steps and letting one arm unlock. ZHANG Zhe (CHN), moving with the speed of a retired plow horse, snatched 191. Nurudinov Ruslan (UZB), who has done 195, played it safe with a two step, walk forward success with 193.

Bedzhanyan David (RUS). Charniga photo.

Nurudinov Ruslan (UZB) was up first with a very easy clean with 220, jerking it with ease from his finger tips. Barely pausing after grasping the bar, Bedzhanyan David (RUS) cleaned 225; before barely pausing in the start, he push jerked it. Nurudinov Ruslan (UZB) hopped back with another safe attempt at 230, jerking it with a wide split. Ilyn Ilya (KAZ) opened with his world record 233 at 94 kg in London. With a normal shoulder width hand spacing, Ilyn made a fast clean and a very wide split to jerk it. Bedzhanyan David (RUS) rushed the clean with 236 leaning forward in the recovery; he had to take a step forward. He made a poor effort to push jerk the weight; sending the barbell forward, he just dropped down as the weight shifted away from him.

Nurudinov Ruslan (UZB). Charniga photo



Ilyn Ilya (KAZ) went to the world record 239, cleaning easier than his first; he began the jerk immediately upon standing. The bar was still oscillating, this caused even more oscillation as he began the jerk, which in turn became too much for him to control, sending the weight too far forward. Within a minute, Nurudinov Ruslan (UZB) was out for the same weight. He made a slower but solid clean; then jerking from the finger tips a very strong jerk for a new world record. Bedzhanyan David (RUS) struggled to clean a new record 240. However, this time he took the time before the jerk to make sure he had his balance; hopping forward as he dropped into a half squat position, he fixed the weight with slightly bent elbows.

After two world records in about two minutes, Ilyn was up to make up a 9 kilo deficit to Nurudinov with another world record 242, nine kilos more than his world record of London at 94 kg bodyweight. He made another strong clean. With this weight he paused long enough in the start position of the jerk to time the still oscillating barbell in his favor. He scissored his feet in the jerk about as wide as is possible for someone of his stature; then, he struggled to shift the back foot forward in stages instead of the textbook method of front foot, followed by back, then front in sequential stages until feet are back in line. Ilyn received a call from president of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev while still on the platform for the award ceremony.

Ilyn Ilya (KAZ). Charniga photos.



Three world records created by three different guys in about three minutes, a huge home town crowd gathered for a national hero, a call from the president. These extraordinary circumstances, along with the age of the record (as discussed in part 1), created the conditions under which three elite athletes were induced, goaded, inspired, whatever verbage one chooses, to rush headlong towards a near death experience in sport.

+105 kg Class

The pretenders of this class were: SALIMIKORDASIABI Behdad (IRI), Albegov Ruslan (RUS), Lovchev Alexsei (RUS), MASSOUD Mohamed Attila (EGY).

Lovchev Alexsei (RUS). Charniga photo.



MASSOUD Mohamed Attila (EGY) at 160 kg, the second heaviest lifter of the A session, managed a slow, almost a power snatch with 188. Hopping back, he made 193 with no problem on his second. MASSOUD had 197 up easily with a slight hop back, but he could not settle lower in the squat to fix it. Albegov Ruslan (RUS) seemed to snatch 203, but he looked to be lowering the barbell without fully standing to do a second repetition. Such is one of the pratfalls of doing repetition lifts in training in this manner. Lovchev Alexsei (RUS) sat slow and stiffly with his first at 205 before dumping the barbell in front. Making a conscious effort to only do one repetition, Albegov Ruslan (RUS) had to take a few quick steps forward to hold 205. Lovchev Alexsei (RUS) hopped back with 205 once again without finding a stable low position before losing the weight in front.

SALIMIKORDASIABI Behdad (IRI), who had made 210 and just missed 215 six weeks earlier, opened with 206, hopping back while stretching the bar with his collar to collar hand spacing. Lovchev Alexsei (RUS) was eliminated when he jumped to 206 and missed. He had the weight locked out in a low squat briefly before dropping the weight in front. Shaking, Albegov Ruslan (RUS) managed to control 210 with a step forward. SALIMIKORDASIABI Behdad (IRI) hopped in the same spot with 211 but it would not go. Lifting with plenty of power, but not very good coordination, the 211 would not go a second time.

SALIMIKORDASIABI Behdad (IRI). Charniga photo



MASSOUD Mohamed Attila (EGY) cleaned 235 on his finger tips before jerking with shallow split. He went to 243 for another strong clean and a very powerful jerk. Albegov Ruslan (RUS) hopped back with 245 then split wide for a good opener. Lovchev Alexsei (RUS) waited several seconds in the start before jerking slowly after a very easy clean with 245. SALIMIKORDASIABI Behdad (IRI) made the easiest clean so far with his 246, but the jerk was slow and awkward. MASSOUD Mohamed Attila (EGY) pulled in 247 only to be knocked backward. Lovchev Alexsei (RUS) cleaned 250 fast with a hop forward; then he jerked it well to move into first in the jerk. SALIMIKORDASIABI Behdad (IRI) cleaned 251 easy enough and once again was lucky to save a sloppy jerk with a forward shifting barbell.

Albegov Ruslan (RUS). Charniga photo.



Albegov Ruslan (RUS) hopped back with an easy 252 clean, jerking slow and forward until his arms unlocked. Albegov made another easy, hop back clean with 252, this time jerking fast and splitting wide to move into first place. Lovchev Alexsei (RUS) went for gold in the jerk with 257. A slow, mechanical but, nonetheless, good jerk followed the easiest big clean of the night. SALIMIKORDASIABI Behdad (IRI) cleaned 257 with no visible strain in an effort to move into first. However, the jerk was awkward and poorly coordinated for no lift.