Iran’s Nasiri wins clean and jerk gold at Asian Weightlifting Championships

Iran’s rising star Alireza Nasiri won the clean and jerk gold medal in the 110kg category at the Asian Weightlifting Championships.

The 19-year-old secured the victory on Sunday by successfully lifting 231kg on his second attempt.

The achievement follows an initial setback in the competition. Nasiri failed all three of his attempts in the snatch portion, which took him out of contention for the snatch and overall total medals.

However, his 231kg performance in the clean and jerk placed him ahead of China's Liu Huanhua, the 2024 Paris Olympic champion in the 102kg class. Nasiri opened with a 221kg lift before making his winning attempt.

The lifter from Marvdasht attempted a world-record 240kg on his third lift but was unsuccessful. Following the medal ceremony, Nassiri dedicated the gold medal to the people of Iran.

Huanhua won gold medals in snatch and total and silver in clean and jerk. Chen Po-jen of Chinese Taipei captured silver in snatch and two bronze medals in clean and jerk and total. Turkmenistan’s Döwranbek Hasanbaýew bagged the bronze medal in snatch and silver medal in total.

The continental tournament is currently taking place in Gandhinagar, marking the first time India has hosted the event since 1982. The competition features 172 athletes from 28 member federations and runs from May 11 to 17.

The victory adds to a series of recent podium finishes for Nasiri. He previously won the World Junior Championship and earned silver medals at both the Senior World Championships and the Islamic Solidarity Games.

Iranian representation at the championships continues this evening, with teammate Alireza Yousefi scheduled to compete in the super heavyweight category.

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