Iranian weightlifters at crest of Asian championships

The Iranian men’s national weightlifting team has collected 562 points at the 2017 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Turkmenistan, and clinched the victory to snap a five-year title drought at the prestigious continental sports event.

Iran stood first with a total of eleven (five gold, three silver and three bronze) medals. China finished as vice champion with 547 points and Uzbekistan took the third place, having racked up 511 points.

Iranian weightlifter Mohammad Reza Barari made a clean sweep of all the available gold medals in the 105-kilogram weight category at the multi-purpose Saparmurat Turkmenbashi Olympic Stadium in the Turkmen capital city of Ashgabat on Saturday.

Barari snatched the snatch gold with 177 kilograms; and his Uzbek opponent raised 175 kilograms overhead to pocket the silver. A representative from Japan got the bronze medal, having lifted up 172 kilograms.

Barari raised 221 kilograms in the clean and jerk contests, and claimed the podium. His South Korean rival hoisted 220 kilograms and took the second spot, while Iran’s Ali Hashemi took away the bronze with a lift of 213 kilograms.

Barari edged the South Korean contestant to receive the gold medal with an aggregate of 398 kilograms. The South Korean weightlifter’s overall register marked 390 kilograms and finished in the second place, while Hashemi secured the aggregate bronze medal with 384 kilograms.

Barari dedicated his three gold medals to the families of the 10 Iranian border guards, who were killed in an ambush attack near the town of Mirjaveh in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan-and-Baluchestan on Wednesday.

Also on Saturday, Iran’s Ramin Rabiei lifted 195 kilograms to strike the bronze medal in the snatch event of the over 105-kilogram class.

The Iranian Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs praised Iranian weightlifters for their outstanding performance during the 2017 Asian Weightlifting Championships.

“The glorious victories of the valiant members of the national weightlifting team during Asian championship competitions, and their winning of the title filled the hearts of the Iranian nation with joy. We felicitate national weightlifters, the technical team, their esteemed families and the Iranian weightlifting society on this prideful championship, which came in light of five gold, three silver and three bronze medals,” the ministry said in a statement.

“We hope Iranian athletes continue to took honors, and dominate the podium in the Islamic Solidarity Games,” the statement added.

Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani, in a separate message, congratulated the Iranian nation and sports community on the remarkable achievement of Iranian weightlifters.

The 2017 Asian Weightlifting Championships kicked off in Turkmenistan on April 23, and concluded on April 29.

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