Aleksin 2013: What to watch

Here’s a breakdown of what to watch each day at this week’s 2013 IPC Powerlifting Open European Championships in Aleksin, Russia. 21 May 2013

Turkey's Nazmiye Muslu throws a flower into the audience after setting a new world record and clinching gold in the women's -40kg competition at London 2012.

ⒸGetty Images

By IPC

Great Britain’s Ali Jawad is bound to receive the media spotlight as he goes for gold in the men’s -59kg class, hoping to rebound from a Chrome’s relapse and a disappointing fourth-place finish at London 2012.

All action from the 2013 IPC Powerlifting Open European Championships will be streamed live on the IPC's YouTube channel.

Wednesday (22 May): The first event of the competition – the women’s -41kg class – will feature one of the world’s best powerlifters in Turkey’s Nazmiye Muslu. The veteran lifter won gold at London 2012 to add to an already impressive resume that includes top finishes at the 2010 World Championships and 2007 European Championships. She will receive tough competition in Aleksin from Russia’s own Yulia Vorontsova and Tatiana Zhavoronkova.

This event will be followed by the women’s -45kg competition and then the men’s -49kg event, which will pit Russian favourite Vladimir Balynetc – a silver medallist at London 2012 – against French medal hopeful Patrick Ardon.

Thursday (23 May): Great Britain’s Ali Jawad is bound to receive the media spotlight as he goes for gold in the men’s -59kg class, hoping to rebound from a Chrome’s relapse and a disappointing fourth-place finish at London 2012. Some of his biggest challengers in Aleksin could include Iraq’s Hussein Juboori and Russia’s Ildar Bedderdinov and Denis Maksimenko.

But prior to that, earlier in the day Russia’s Vladimir Krivulya will look to dominate the men’s -54kg class and his compatriot Olesya Lafina will hope to top the podium in the women’s -50kg.

Friday (24 May): Three Turkish lifters – Gamze Sayar, Dilfiroz Atilgan and Cihan Kubilay – will all take to the bar in the women’s -61kg class, hoping for a sweep of the podium. Russia’s Kheda Berieva, Poland’s Magdalena Konior and Iraq’s Dhikra Saleem would love to out-do them, though.

Martina Barbierato will aim to put on a show for Italy in the women’s -55kg class and Polish lifters Grzegorz Lanzer and Marek Trykacz could surprise in the men’s -65kg class.

Elsewhere, the men’s -80kg event will feature a stacked field that includes Spain’s Luis Miguel Pita Fraga, UAE’s Adel Shanbih and Finland’s Harri Kauppila. Also, Great Britain’s Daniel Steward and Greece’s Nikolaos Gkountanis will take part in the men’s -72kg competition.

Saturday (25 May): All eyes will be on the Netherlands’ Patrique Dankers and Greece’s Christos Gkiokas in the men’s -88kg event, as they lifted impressive highs of 179kg and 184kg earlier this year, respectively.

Twelve different countries will be represented in the men’s -97kg, including Georgia, Slovakia and Serbia, while French Paralympic champion Souhad Ghazouani will look to continue her winning ways in the women’s -73kg class.

Competition will also unfold in the women’s -67kg and -79kg classes.

Sunday (26 May): The final day of the Championships will feature a prime matchup between Greece’s Pavlos Mamalos and Iraq’s Faris Al-Ajeeli in the men’s -107kg class, as well as Azerbaijan’s top medal hopeful, Maharram Aliyev, in the men’s +107kg class.

Russia’s Tatiana Smirnova and Olga Kiseleva will look to win the women’s -86kg and +86kg classes, respectively.