Eger 2019: Mohammed Khalaf back for more

Rio 2016 gold medallist Mohammed Khalaf will be one of the top names competing at the World Para Powerlifting World Cup in Eger, Hungary, between 25 and 28 April.

The Emirati has one win this season, having topped the men's up to 97kg podium on home soil at the Fazza World Cup in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Hungary will be one more step towards the biggest goal of the season: July’s World Championships in Nur-Sultan (formerly Astana), Kazakhstan.

Great Britain's Micky Yule will be another powerlifter to keep an eye on in the men’s up to 80kg. The European champion is still fresh from claiming bronze at the Fazza World Cup in February.

Azerbaijan’s European champion Elshan Huseynov has good memories from Eger. In 2015, he set the then-world record of 243kg in the men’s up to 107kg while competing in Hungary. Whether he will be able to repeat such a performance remains an open question.

Zieba returns

In the women's events, Paralympic silver medallist Marzena Zieba will kick off her season in Eger.

The Polish lifter last competed at the 2018 European Open Championships, where she claimed the continental title in the women’s over 86kg. In Eger, Zieba will face the likes of Israel’s Polina Katsman and Thailand’s Netsuda Panna.

She will not be the only Polish gold medal hope among women, though, as Berck-sur-Mer 2018 bronze medallist Malgorzata Halas-Koralewska (up to 61kg) and European champion Justyna Kozdryk (up to 45kg) will also be in attendance.

Indonesia’s Ni Nengah Widiasih has been steadily improving and will be another to look out for in the women’s up to 41kg. The 26-year-old and Paralympic bronze medallist most recently took silver at the Fazza World Cup.

It will also be interesting to watch the duel between Brit Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Louise Sugden and Netherlands’ Paralympic bronze medallist Melaica Tuinfort in the women’s up to 86kg.

A full schedule and live results are available on World Para Powerlifting’s website.