Cairo 2025: Largest-ever Rookie & Next Gen World C’ships kick off 

120 athletes (36 female and 84 male athletes), aged 20 or younger, are competing in the Rookie & Next Gen C’ships spanned over two days for the first time. Golden starts for Uzbekistan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Ecuador and Hungary among others. 10 Oct 2025
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An athlete reacts after a successful lift
Hungary’s Gergo Szebenyi achieved a career best performance with a new European and world record on his way to winning the Next Gen gold in men’s up to 54kg class.
ⒸHiroki Nishioka / WPPO
By Priyanka Sharma l For World Para Powerlifting

The Cairo 2025 World Para Powerlifting Championships got off to a spectacular start with the Rookie & Next Gen events as athletes showed power and intent of a bright future for the sport, at the New Capital Sports Hall on Thursday (9 October),

As many as 120 athletes (36 female and 84 male athletes), aged 20 or younger, are competing at Cairo 2025, making it the largest ever Rookie & Next Gen World Championships held for the first time over two days. 

This will be followed by the Elite World Championships from 11 to 18 October.

The 11th edition of the World Championships marks a major milestone — this is the first time the event will take place not just in Egypt but in Africa. This is also one of the biggest championships hosted by Egypt after the African Open Championships in 2022 and World Cups in 2023 and 2024.

Familiar names 

While many new faces shone on the opening day of the Cairo 2025, there were familiar faces too including Ecuador’s Paralympian Kerly Lascano who went on to achieve glory.

Lascano settled for 102 kg in her second attempt to clinch the women’s up to 41kg category gold and was proud about her efforts in Cairo. 

“I was sad after a poor show in Paris. I trained hard and wanted to achieve the gold here. I’m very happy and excited,” said the 20-year-old Lascano, who also had a Next Gen silver from Dubai 2023. 

Cairo will hold a special place for Hungary’s Gergo Szebenyi as he achieved his career best performance setting a new European and *world record in men’s up to 54kg class.  

Szebenyi, the European champion (rookie), had three clear lifts with the final one, 149 kg, to break the European record before he went for a successful world record attempt with 152kg.

“It’s a great feeling to win the gold with a new world record. One month before the championships, I left a pain in my right shoulder, so I was cautious. But today, all my lifts were great. I was competing against myself today,” said the Hungarian who aims to be in the top 8 in the qualification pathway to Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics.

 

Thrilling contest

There were thrilling fights too.

In men’s up to 59kg, Armenian lifters Khoren Tsaturyan and Artur Babayan were engaged in a close battle for the gold with the former winning it by 1 kilogram. Tsaturyan took the gold with a powerful 142kg effort. 

This was Tsaturyan’s second medal at the World Championships after his silver medal (rookie) in men’s -49kg category at Dubai 2023.

The 19-year-old, who is aiming to qualify for the Paralympics, said he had worked hard and believed in himself to achieve the result. 

Seventeen-year-old Amalia Jimenez Gonzalez from Cuba set a new Americas and *world record on her way in winning the women’s -45kg event. After three successful lifts, Gonzalez showed strong determination and grit to attempt a successful powerlift of 90kg.

 

Golden start for Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan powerhouse opened their account on the first day thanks to Khojiakbar Khomidov’s effort as he won his first Rookie & Next Gen World Championships medal.

The 19-year-old’s effort of 155kg also fetched Uzbekistan their first gold of the day in the men’s up to 65kg category.

Uzbek women added two more gold in the final event of the day - Zuhra Yudasheva won the women’s up to 55kg category with three clear lifts, the final a 90kg lift, while Ziyodakhon Bokijonova topped the podium in women's up to 50 kg.

Earlier, Kazakhstan’s Farkhat Mutunov claimed the first gold of the championships winning the men’s up to 49kg with a powerful lift of 141kg. It was the Kazakh’s second Rookie & Next Gen Worlds medal.

An opening ceremony, featuring athlete's parade and Egyptian cultural dance, officially opened the Cairo 2025 Worlds which was also attended by Egypt's Minister of Youth and Sports Dr. Ashraf Sobhi.

The Rookie & Next Gen World Championships continues on Friday (10 October) with 11 events to be contested and live results available on the link. You can also watch all the action live on the Paralympic Games YouTube channel.