My most memorable lift: Azerbaijan’s Elshan Huseynov

The world record holder in the men’s up to 107kg explains which lift was his most memorable one in his career so far. 02 Aug 2016
Imagen
Elshan Huseynov, Powerlifting, Azerbaijan, Almaty 2015
Azerbaijan’s Elshan Huseynov won the country's first medal in the men’s up to 107kg class at the 2015 IPC Powerlifting Asian Open Championships.
ⒸKonstantin Kniazevych & Anatoly Kudyakov
By Laura Godenzi | for the IPC

Azerbaijan’s powerlifter Elshan Huseynov had a breakthrough 2015 season, leaping into the history books by smashing the men’s up to 107kg world record twice.

The 39-year old describes which lift he remembers the most from his career and why.

“My most memorable lift was last year in July at the 2015 IPC Powerlifting Asian Open Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

“I lifted 242kg in the men’s up to 107kg. All my patience and hard labour worked off when I won the Asian Championships and also set my first world record in my career. This is why the lift in Almaty is so memorable for me.”

In addition to his lift in Almaty, Huseynov went on to add to the world record at November’s IPC Powerlifting European Open Championships.

No one has bettered his 243kg performance and the Azerbaijani heads to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games in good shape.

His main rival, Greece’s Pavlos Mamalos, will aim to stop Huseynov as the reigning world champion. The pair also met at the European Championships, with Mamalos taking gold but Huseynov managing to take the world record with a fourth round lift.

 

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