Bahrain, Day 10: Armenia’s Lalayan wins epic final contest – and China has a new star in women’s super-heavyweights

Super-heavyweights from Armenia, Iran, Iraq and host nation Bahrain were urged on by a noisy capacity crowd as they made the final session one of the highlights of 10 memorable days at the 2024 IWF World Championships.

There was some remarkable lifting in the women’s contest that preceded it, too. A newcomer from China, Li Yan, claimed the junior and senior snatch world records as she won by 29kg.

Varazdat Lalayan (ARM)

Varazdat Lalayan from Armenia, second to triple Olympic champion Lasha Talakhadze in Paris in August, came out on top in a battle between three men who collectively weighed more than 520kg. Lalayan, 25, was ahead of the Iranians Ali Davoudi and Alireza Yousefi on the same total he made in Paris, 467kg.

Snatch silver medallist Gor Minasyan, third for Bahrain in Paris, was fourth. One place behind him was 20-year-old Ali Ammar Yusur from Iraq, who broke five junior world records in going beyond 450kg for the first time.

Lalayan was behind both Iranians in clean and jerk, but his big advantage in snatch left him clear to claim Armenia’s first victory here. Before today Talakhadze, who did not lift in Bahrain, had won every world title stretching back to 2015.

Lalayan made all three snatches to lead Davoudi by 9kg and Yousefi by 21kg at halfway. Minasyan was within 5kg of Lalayan but his chances disappeared when he missed his first two clean and jerks before finishing 210-245-455.

Ali Davoudi (IRI)

Davoudi also failed with his first two attempts in clean and jerk before giving Iran’s noisy supporters something to cheer. His final lift left him on 206-253-459. Yousefi needed 262kg to take clean and jerk gold and bronze on total – and there were more cheers when he made it. The Iranian pair won five medals between them.

Ali Ammar kept pace with the contenders. He broke the junior snatch world record twice, opening on 201kg and following up on 204kg. He then bettered Yousefi’s junior clean and jerk record as well as putting 10kg on his own record on total. Ali Ammar finished 204-247-451.

If Ali Ammar is the up-and-coming youngster in the men’s super-heavyweights, there is a new name in the women’s division – Li Yan from China, which has won six Olympic titles in the heaviest women’s category this century.

Ali Ammar (IRQ)

Li Yan, 20, took the snatch world records from her double Olympic champion team-mate Li Wenwen as she won the world title in her first major international appearance.

Her only previous international outing was at the East Asian Championships in Korea in September, where she totalled 310kg. Today she made all six lifts for 149-175-324, and looked capable of more.

That total was 15kg more than the winning total in Paris for Li Wenwen, whose preparations were disrupted by a serious elbow injury at the 2023 World Championships.

For comparison, Li Wenwen made exactly the same total on her international debut in 2019 before going on to win in Tokyo and Paris, as well as at all other eight events in which she has competed since.

Li Yan (CHN)

Li Yan is from Heilongjiang, China’s northernmost province, where she started lifting aged 15. “A coach found me at school and thought I was talented,” she said. As a newcomer to the national team for these Championships she has never trained with Li Wenwen, who like China’s other four Paris gold medallists is taking a break.

Li Yan joined the provincial team in 2020, and competed in her first national competition in the same year. “I I really enjoyed the atmosphere at my first international championship, but I have been more nervous here than in national competitions,” she said.  

Her nerves did not show. “This was my best performance yet – I had never lifted these numbers even in training,” she said. Li Wenwen started her career at 149kg and has stayed close to that weight. Li Yan weighed in today at 127.96kg.

Park Hyejeong (KOR)

Korean lifters took silver and bronze, and the junior world champion Marifelix Sarria from Cuba was fourth. The Paris silver medallist Park Hyejeong came close to breaking the 300kg barrier for the first time, but failed on 130kg and finished 124-171-295. Son Younghee was third on 118-162-280.

There was a disappointing end to a memorable year for Emily Campbell, the Paris bronze medallist from Britain who had to withdraw after two snatch attempts with a quad muscle injury. She had been clear of injury and making very good numbers in training.

Emily Campbell (GBR)

“I’d been in really good shape for this, ready to take on both Koreans,” said Campbell. “I felt a sharp pain in my quad and that was that. It is what it is – that’s weightlifting.

“I got injured in Bulgaria three days before the European Championships, now this. But it’s still been a great year for me, I got what I really wanted in Paris.

“I was thinking of quitting after the Olympics but I felt I left so much out there in Paris I had to carry on. Now I want my fifth European title in April – 300 in Moldova, let’s do it!”

By Brian Oliver

Photos by DBM/Deepbluemedia