Iran Wins Gold, Silver, Bronze of Weightlifting at Olympics | ||
Iran Wins Gold, Silver, Bronze of Weightlifting at Olympics Iran's super heavyweight Behdad Salimi won the gold medal and his compatriot Sajjad Anoushiravani pocketed the silver in the +105-kilogram category of the weightlifting competition of the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The 22-year-old athlete lifted a total of 455 kilograms to win the gold medal in the event, which was held at London's Excel arena. Anoushirvani hoisted 449 kilograms to win the silver medal in the category. Russia's European champion Ruslan Albegov won the bronze with a total of 448 kilograms. Salimi, who lifted 208 kilograms in snatch and 247 kilograms in clean and jerk, secured the gold medal with his first clean and jerk lift of 247 kilograms. The strongman attempted a clean and jerk world record of 264 kilograms, trying to beat the 263 kilograms mark set by Iran’s Hossein Rezazadeh, the twice Olympic and four-time world champion, at the Sydney Games in 2000. However, Salimi failed in his second attempt and abandoned a third lift. Iran's weightlifting prodigy Salimi won the world title at his first attempt in 2010 by lifting a total of 453 kilograms and retained his title in 2011 by lifting 464 kilograms. The man-mountain set a new world record of 214 kilograms in the snatch, breaking the previous record of 213 kilograms. This is while Navvab Nasirshelal won a silver medal for Iran at the men's 105-kilogram weightlifting competition of the 2012 Olympic Games. The Iranian lifted a total of 411 kilograms just one kilo behind gold medalist Oleksiy Torokhtiy of Ukraine at the Excel Center. Poland's Bartlomiej Bonk got bronze at 410 kilograms. The Ukrainian was in second on 407 kilograms and failed at 226 kilograms, allowing Nasirshelal, who was then third on 406 kilograms, to top the table with a total of 411 kilograms after lifting 227 kilograms. Torokhtiy took his final lift and hoisted 227 kilograms as well, giving him a 412 kilograms total. Nasirshelal’s final effort was at 229 kilograms which would have given him the victory by one kilo but he barely got the bar off the ground and gold went to Ukraine. Moreover, world champion Kianoush Rostami of Iran won the bronze medal in the weightlifting competitions in the London 2012 Olympic Games with an aggregate of 380kg in the men’s 85kg category. Rostami, 21, lifted 171kg in snatch and 209kg in clean and jerk. He missed his 214kg clean and jerk to win the gold. Before him, his team-mate Sohrab Moradi, in the same category, attempted three times and failed every time to lift 166kg and was eliminated. The 2010 world champion Adrian Zielinski from Poland claimed the category’s gold with a solid display, lifting a combined weight of 385kg. Although silver medalist Russian Apti Aukhadov lifted the same total, the Pole won because of his lower bodyweight. | ||
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