Powerlifting: Day 6 preview

Huge clearances are expected by both the male and female competitors in what is likely to be another tense day of competition at Riocentro. 13 Sep 2016

By Beau Greenway | For the IPC

The penultimate day of the Rio 2016 powerlifting competition is likely to see further world record marks reached at the Riocentro Pavilion 2, with three more intense events.

The programme on Tuesday (13 September) features the men’s up to 88kg category in the morning, with the women’s up to 86kg and men’s up to 97kg categories expected to include some huge clearances of the bar.

Only 4kg separate Egypt’s Hany Abdelhady, Iran’s Seyedhamed Solhipouravanji and Jordan’s Mutaz Zakaria Daoud Aljuneidi in the Paralympic rankings of the men’s up to 88kg event, making the battle for gold a very interesting one.

Abdelhady currently holds the world record, which he set in February at the World Cup in Dubai with a fourth lift. But it was Solhipouravanji who took gold at that event, successfully outperforming Abdelhady after three pushes for a best effort of 232kg.

But the pair know they cannot forget about reigning world champion Aljuneidi, who recorded 229kg to win World Championships gold in 2014.

In the women’s up to 86kg class, Egypt’s Randa Mahmoud has set the bar high and other powerlifters will be chasing her during the competition.

Mahmoud broke the world record by just 0.5kg on her way to the gold at the 2014 IPC Powerlifting World Championships in Dubai.

Spectators should also keep an eye on China’s Fengmei Li and Mexico’s Catalina Diaz Vilchis, who will also be fighting for the medals.

Li just missed the podium at London 2012 and will be looking to leave Rio with a medal in her second Games appearance, while Vilchis has made four Paralympics, with her lone medal being bronze in 2004.

The day’s final event is set to see Nigeria’s Abdulazeez Ibrahim and Egypt’s Mohamed Eldib pick up where they last left their most intense rivalry.

The two battled for gold in the men’s up to 97kg at the 2014 IPC Powerlifting World Championships, and it was Ibrahim who out-lifted reigning Paralympic champion Eldib for the world title in Dubai.

For the Nigerian, the victory was sweet, considering he missed the London 2012 Paralympics due to injury, with his 235kg lift at Dubai 2014 showing his full intentions for Rio 2016.

Eldib, however, has shown he will not hand over his Paralympic title easily after resetting the world record at 243kg during a World Cup event last year, again in Dubai.

China’s Asian champion Dong Qi also has his name in the running of medal hopefuls after lifting 230kg at the 2015 IPC Powerlifting Asian Open Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan.