The eighth World Youth Weightlifting Championship held 8-16th March in Las Vegas, USA, was marked with noticeable events for the Azerbaijan team. In the competition, attended by nearly 200 athletes from 44 countries, five members of the National team participated.
Omar Javadov and Rustam Gasimov clinched the Snatch bronze in 55 kg and 67kg bodyweight category respectively. In the men’s 102kg bodyweight category, Ali Shukurlu grabbed the bronze medal in Total. In the end, Rahman Kazimov captured the gold medal in Clean and Jerk totalling at +102kg.
The National team, that finished the competition with a total of 6 medals-5 small and 1 bronze, has achieved success written with golden letters in our country’s weightlifting history. Thus, Azerbaijan team consisting of boys managed to capture the fifth place in the team-standings of World championship (tenth in the medal-standings). Until now, no team could achieve this result.
We congratulate all Azerbaijan weightlifting fans on the occasion of this great success. The policies pursued by Azerbaijan Weightlifting Federation in recent years, and the steps taken by it give its results in the short time. In our country, there is a new generation of weightlifters and their achievements are evident. The first place taken in the European Championships for the next two years in the medal, then in the team-standings currently shows its impact in the World championship. In the World Youth Weightlifting Championship held in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 2017, national team amidst boys earned a license to the Olympic Games taking the 9th place in the overall rankings. And with that license Tarmenkhan Babayev could be the runner-up of the competition in Buenos-Aires.
Azerbaijan team now is the fifth of the world championship in the team-standings. To gain this result with only five athletes in the competition is priceless and praiseworthy. We can surely say that, if other young athletes of national team, who could not come to USA because of the injury, was able to board the platform, now we could talk on even the first place.
This attainment, written in golden letters on the history of Azerbaijan weightlifting, allows us to look forward the future more hopefully and to believe the perspective of our sport.
On behalf of AZE WF,congratulations to the athletes and coaches for this great achievement, and wish a worthy representation of our country in the upcoming competitions!
