Top countries all triumph at powerlifting Asian Open

Chinese London 2012 gold medallist Xiaofei Gu lifted nearly three times his bodyweight in the men’s up to 80kg class to secure a new world and Asian record of 231kg.

China, Egypt and Nigeria have reigned supreme on the penultimate day of competition at the 2013 IPC Powerlifting Asian Open Championships, all picking up more golds to add to their growing collections.

Chinese London 2012 gold medallist Xiaofei Gu lifted nearly three times his bodyweight in the men’s up to 80kg class to secure a new world and Asian record of 231kg. Gu, who picked up a bronze medal at the same venue during the 2010 IPC Powerlifting World Championships, destroyed the world record set by Egypt’s Abdelkalik Abdelkalik in Dubai, UAE, in February by 21kg.

Twenty-four-year-old Gu snuck past Egyptian reigning world champion and London bronze medallist Metwaly Ibrahim Metwaly Mathna who pushed 230kg to win silver at the Titwangsa Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Jordanian Mu’taz Aljuneidi failed a lift of 229kg but eased into bronze with a best of 220kg.

The second Paralympic champion of the day to continue his good form was 33-year-old Egyptian Hany Mohsen Mohamed Abdelhady, who twice set a new world record with two consecutive lifts of 210kg and 220kg to win gold in the men’s up 88kg class. Reigning world champion Abdeldady’s great form looks set to continue into the 2014 IPC Powerlifting World Championships in Dubai, despite weight category changes which came into force early in 2013.

China’s London silver medallist Huichao Cai also looked steady in his performance, adding an Open silver to his medal cabinet with a lift of 200kg. Nigerian Opeyemi Bambo Jegede was just behind the top two lifters with a final and best lift of 199kg.

Nigerian Abdulazeez Ibrahim, 35, had a tough fight against Iranian Ali Sadeghzadehsalmani, both lifting 217kg to start.

Ibrahim had other ideas and edged ahead with a second lift of 225kg, just 3kg ahead of Sadeghzadehsalmani, a bronze medallist from London, who went on to set a new Asian record with his best lift of 224kg.

Ibrahim’s third and best lift of 228kg saw him ease to gold, with Sadeghzadehsalmani in silver and UAE’s Mohammed Khalaf in bronze with 223kg.

Around 200 athletes from 30 countries are competing at the 2013 IPC Powerlifting Asian Open Championships, ahead of the World Championships which take place in Dubai, UAE, from 5-11 April 2014. Athletes are vying to achieve the Minimum Qualifying Standard (MQS) for that event.

Athletes and teams are also attending educational seminars on anti-doping as part of the recently launched IPC Powerlifting Raise the Bar – Say No! to Doping campaign which makes its debut in Kuala Lumpur and continues until Dubai 2014. The project is funded by the Agitos Foundation and is part of a partnership with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Competitions runs through Thursday (7 November).

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