Omar comes out on top in battle of champions

With the medals decided, Perez then failed with a 135kg world record attempt and could only watch on as World Champion Omar managed 135.5kg, to add 3.5kg to her previous best set five months ago.

Two London 2012 Paralympic champions went head-to-head at the 2014 IPC Powerlifting World Championships in Dubai, UAE, on Tuesday (8 April) with Egypt's Fatma Omar coming out on top against Mexico's Amilia Perez, on a day that saw world records continue to fall.

Due to changes in weight categories made in 2013, Omar - the -56kg champion from London - was pitched against Perez - the -60kg gold medallist - in the women's -61kg.

Despite the rivalry, the gold medal was effectively decided in the first round with world record holder and four-time Paralympic champion Omar lifting 130kg. The weight was 15kg more than any of her competitors could manage in the opening exchanges and a lift that was never challenged in the following rounds.

Returning from a shoulder injury, Perez struggled to find her rhythm and failed with her first two attempts at 128kg, whilst Omar, confident of victory, was unsuccessful at two 135kg world record attempts.

With the prospect of not even posting a weight, never mind winning a medal, a growing possibility for Perez, the 40-year-old showed grit and determination to succeed with her third attempt at 128kg, which was good enough to secure the silver medal ahead of China's Yan Yang (115kg) in bronze.

With the medals decided, Perez then failed with a 135kg world record attempt and could only watch on as World Champion Omar managed 135.5kg, to add 3.5kg to her previous best set five months ago.

The junior world title and European record went to Russia's 19-year-old Irina Galitcyna (70kg).

Nigeria's Paralympic champion Esther Oyema looked comfortable as she first equalled, then broke, her own world record twice on the way to victory in the women's -55kg.

The 31-year-old opened with 120kg, before lifting 123kg in round two to break the record she set in Kuala Lumpur in November 2013.

With a third-round flourish, Oyema hauled 125kg to further her world mark.

China's Shanshan Shi (115kg) finished in silver, whilst Russia's Anastasia Khonina (109kg) took bronze.

The junior title went to 19-year-old Italian Martina Barbierato (70kg).

The men's -80kg was an incredibly close fight which looked to be going the way of Egypt's Metwaly Mathana until China's Xiao Fei Gu pulled out an astonishing final round lift to secure gold and break the world record.

During the first two rounds, Mathana was 4kg ahead of his rival, first posting 225kg before following it up with 232kg, 2kg more than Gu's world record, in the second.

Undeterred, London 2012 silver medallist Gu lifted 236kg in the third round to claim back his world record and secure gold as Mathana failed with an attempt at 237kg.

In lifting a European record 197kg, Latus Wawrzyniec looked surprised at winning bronze, Poland's first medal in Dubai.

France's Julian Avom Mbume, 18, won the junior gold and world record with a lift of 160kg.

Buoyed on by the success of her teammate, Yujiao Tan then broke her own world with a second round lift of 132.5kg in the women's -67kg to win China's second gold of the day.

Egypt's third medal of the day came courtesy of silver medallist Amal Mahmoud (116kg) with Russia's Kheda Berieva (115kg) in bronze with a European record.

The 2014 IPC Powerlifting World Championships, featuring over 330 athletes from nearly 60 countries, run from 5-11 April and are the first opportunity for athletes to begin qualification for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

The competition also features the climax to the "Raise the Bar campaign," which has seen powerlifters and team officials take part in education seminars as part of efforts to reduce doping in the sport.

A full competition schedule and live results can be found at the Dubai 2014 website as well as further information about the competition.

The competition is also being live streamed.