TWI has just released the official, fully-detailed broadcast schedule for the World's Strongest Man contest.


Philip Pfister put the pedal to the metal in Sanya, China and brought the World's Strongest Man title back to the US for the first time since the reign of the mighty Bill Kazmaier. ESPN 2 starts the coverage of World's Strongest Man this weekend. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Coverage begins on ESPN 2 on December 23, and ESPN 1 will be joining in on December 31. For full details, please check the official World's Strongest Man website: http://www.theworldsstrongestman.com/wsm/broadcast.html

Don't take your lifting shoes for granted . . . what would you do if they suddenly disappeared?


Thanh Nguyen skated into the Sports Palace one day, started lifting, and he went on to become a member of the 1996 US Olympic Weightlifting Team: Lifting in 64-kg category,Thanh made this 112.5-kg snatch and he cleaned and jerked 145 kg in Atlanta. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Drawing on experiences from the neighborhood surrounding his old gym, the legendary Sports Palace, Olympic weightlifting team coach Jim Schmitz shares some real world stories about who lost what and how, with the idea that forewarned can mean forearmed. Read this and perhaps you can avoid a similar outcome:

Schmitz on the Lifts

World Strongman Cup's Vlad Redkin minced no words about Mariusz Pudzianowski's triumph this weekend: "Mariusz presented himself to the Russian audience at his best . . . ," and Mariusz at his best is about as good as it gets in strongman.


Elbrus Nigmatullin finished second to Mariusz Pudzianowski at the WSMC competition in Russia this past weekend and finished the year in third place, overall. Photo courtesy of Vlad Redkin.

The Polish strongman star was unstoppable and by the end of the day, he had won the contest and emerged as the series champion for 2006. Here are the final 2006 rankings for the top six:

1. Mariusz Pudzianowski (Poland), 50 points
2. Tarmo Mitt (Estonia), 48
3. Elbrus Nigmatullin (Russia), 40
4. Raivis Vidzis (Latvia), 36
5. Antanas Abrutis (Lithuania), 27
6. Stoyan Todorchev (Bulgaria), 26

Are you making Steve "Inver Stone" Jeck mad?


Steve Jeck, looking as he should, at Sorinex this summer - when the Diesel Crew put on their 2006 Global Grip Challenge. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Think that clean and raw are for the happily sedate and easily satisfied? Or that great things follow from half-hearted efforts? As 2006 draws to an end and you think about where you'd like to end up next year, and how you will get there, take a moment to read and then consider Steve Jeck's latest From The Quarry.

Nick McKinless recently added another feather to his cap when won the Britain's Strongest Man Contest under105 kg.


Nick McKinless strolling with the 300-kg Conan's Wheel, on his way to victory in the 2006 Britain's Strongest Man under 105 kg. Photo courtesy of Nick McKinless.

McKinless is no stranger to big performances, and when strength historian David Webster witnessed Nick attack the world-famous Dinnie Stones, he had a few words of note.

"The efforts of young Nick McKinless of Cheltenham were most impressive. A very athletic-looking powerlifter, 6'1" and a little over 200 lb., he had a serious, determined approach . . . " reported Webster. Celebrating his successful, McKinless "then threw a lovely back somersault!" Webster wrote. For the complete story, check the September 1998 issue of MILO.

Nick has gone on to move to Australia and and among his accomplishments, he became a stunt man. "I am currently working on The Golden Compass (Nicole Kidman and Danial Craig) in London," Nick told IronMind.

IronMind invited IFSA-USA, ASC and NAS president Dione Wessels to comment on NAS's position on drug testing.

As background for IronMind's invitation, consider that while strength sports that are on the Olympic program have very strict drug testing policies, and while most of the other strength sports include federations with clearly defined drug-testing procedures, to date, this has not been the case in strongman. And while some wags debate whether an in-competition, drug-related death in strongman would be terrific or horrific for TV ratings, the absence of drug-tested strongman contests might be changing.

Wessels said that NAS is wrapping up "its busiest year yet in terms of number of contests run," but still more are coming.

"For 2007 NAS plans to host an even larger number of contests, giving amateur strongmen around the country even more opportunities to compete. As the premier amateur strongman organization in the United States," Wessels said, "NAS is ever evolving and will continue to welcome new promoters and new ideas, including drug-tested contests provided that the testing is conducted in a fair and non-subjective manner." �

The multi-talented Jyrki Rantanen reported that Janne Hartikainen added under Finnish Strongest Man title to his collection today.

Hartikainen won the top Finnish strongman honors in the -100 kg category in 2001 and again in 2002; and in 2005, plus now in 2006, he added the -105 kg crowns to his collection.

Longtime grip guy David Horne has launched a new site "devoted to grip strength."


As an indication of his grip-related experience, consider that David Horne sent IronMind this clipping more than ten years ago.

David has been active in many facets of the grip world and has a wealth of experience, so if you are into grip strength, be sure to stop by for a visit: http://www.davidhorne-gripmaster.com/

This weekend is the eighth and final stage of the 2006 World Strongman Cup series and look for another field filled with top competitors drawn from around the world.


Well over two meters tall and looking good as he gives 150 kg a ride on the Apollon's Axle at the 2005 FitExpo, Dave Ostlund will be representing the United States this weekend at the World Strongman Cup competition in Russia. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Here is the official list of competitors:

1. Mariusz Pudzianowski (Poland)
2. Ali Esmaili (UAE)
3. Dave Ostlund (USA)
4. Elbrus Nigmatullin (Russia)
5. Raivis Vidzis (Latvia)
6. Tarmo Mitt (Estonia)
7. Stoyan Todorchev (Bulgaria)
8. Terry Hollands (UK)
9. Majid Dejbarar (Iran)
10. Alex Kljushev (Russia)
11. Sergei Rjumin (Belarus)
12. Florian Trimpl (Germany)

And here are the official events:

1. Arm-over-arm truck pull: 7.5 tons
2. Apollon Axle: 140 kg for reps
3. Conan's wheel: 380 kg
4. Farmer's walk: 2 x150 kg for distance
5. Stones: five, ranging from 125 - 175 kg
6. Car deadlift: for reps




This weekend, the World Strongman Cup makes the final stop in its 2006 series. Artwork courtesy of Vlad Redkin.

This is it, time to pull out all the stops for one final, big effort not just to do well in this contest, but also to finish off the season with the highest possible overall position in this series. Coming into this last event, Mitt leads, with 41 points, followed by Pudzianowski, with 40, Nimatullin, with 31 and then Vidzis, with 30 points

World Strongman Cup promoter Vlad Redkin told IronMind, "[This is the] last competition in this year . . . All [are] very tired, but will struggle!"

If you're looking for an alternative to radioactive strongman, thank Pat Rankin, the rest of the original St. Louis strongman crew, and the USSF's Ty Phillips for putting together the pieces.�


If you've been wanting a drug tested strongman contest, plan to be in St. Louis next February, because Pat Rankin, with a little help from his friends, is serving one up. Artwork courtesy of Rick Fowler.

St. Louis and strongman are synonymous with much that is good and well-liked in the sport - going back to the days when Jim Davis, Pat Rankin, Rick Fowler and Wayne Eilerman put together what are still regarded as some of the highest level and most popular shows in American strongman.

Pat Rankin and his Have Bible Will Travel church are the prime movers on this one, but part of his team is the others principals of the St. Louis strongman world - Wayne Eilerman, Rick Fowler and Jim Davis - and talking to them, everyone is of one mind: They wanted to hold a drug-tested strongman contest and when they discussed this with NAS last year, they said that they were turned down, so this year they decided that this was no reason not to go forward with their plans. "This show is a fundraiser for Pat Rankin's church," Phillips told IronMind. "This show will be open to both pros and amateurs alike as long as they are clean and willing to be tested."

Prize money is not yet set, but the events will be: log press (reps), crucifix hold, front cross carry/sled drag medley, and Fingel's Fingers. The contest is scheduled for February 24, 2007 in St. Louis.

For everyone who has been eagerly awaiting the English-language version of the Jon Pal DVD, we have some very good news.


Hjalti Arnason, Douglas Edmunds and Mark Higgins (left to right) at the premiere of the Jon Pal documentary in Reykjavik earlier this year. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Hjalti Arnason, the force behind this film, told IronMind, "We are just finishing the English version; subtitles are ready and [there are a] lot of extra photos and clips." Arnason also confirmed that the English-language version will be printed in NTSC format.

This documentary on the incomparable Icelandic strongman Jon Pal Sigmarsson is a must-see for strength fans of all persuasions and it has raised the bar for all future films in the field, showcasing the talents of leading Icelandic filmmaker Steingrimur Thordarson, and the response in Iceland has been colossal - breaking breaking box office records and winning rave reviews. In the latest demonstration of the film's magnetism, Arnason told IronMind, "The Jon Pal DVD is already in shops, and close to 4000 were sold here in Iceland in the first week."

Doha - If you wanted to see the superheavyweights post huge numbers, this was not the place to be, but if you wanted to see Hossein Rezazadeh electrify his countryman, while picking up as easy gold medal, you found your home.


From the applause, you would have thought he did at least 210/260, but no matter, Hossein Rezazadeh won the gold medal at the Asian Games today - electrifying his Iranian fans who packed the competition hall. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

There were two top echelon lifters in the +105 kg category - Jaber Salem (Qatar) and Hossein Rezazadeh - but neither one was coming into this contest in top form. Salem, who won a gold medal at the 2003 World Weightlifting Championships for snatching 210 kg - opened with 175. 175? And Rezazadeh, who holds the world record in the snatch at 213 kg, opened with 185. Salem took 185 for his second attempt, made the lift and then retired from the snatches. Rezazadeh went on to make 190 and 195 - he had to run forward to save the 195. The clean and jerks were even more contained, as Salem hit 215 and then 225 before calling it a night. Rezazadeh opened with 230, said that was enough, and then basked in applause from the Iranian-packed stands. The bronze medal went to Andrey Martemyanov (Uzbekistan), a lifter who looked like he had just stepped out of the mid-1960s and who did 168/213.

Doha - It's what every lifter and lifting fan likes most: One attempt left, and if it's a good lift, it earns the gold medal.


Ahed Joughili hits the bottom with 222 kg - he was just a few seconds away from becoming the Asian Games champion in the 105-kg category earlier today. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

That's how things ended up in the 105-kg category at the Asian Games today: Ahead Joughili (Syria) had the last attempt of the class and he trailed Mahammad Aljuaifri (Iraq) by two kilos, plus he was heavier.

The snatches had ended with Kim Wha Seung (Korea) leading with 176; both Aljuaifri and Bakhyt Akhmetov (Kazakhstan) had made 175 and Joughili had made 170.

Kim got off to a shaky start in the clean and jerks when he couldn't stand up with his opener, 200 kg, came back to make it on his second attempt, but then missed the jerk with 205 on his third. Joughili opened with 212, for a good lift and gold medal position, but wait, because Aljuaifri opened with 213 to overtake him.

Enter Akhmetov, who had opened with a good 205 and made a good lift with 213 on his second, to move into first place. Back to Aljuaifri - 216 on his second attempt, to move from second-place position back up to first-place position.

It's rough being at the top of the heap because you become the target and Akhmetov had Aljuaifri in his sights: He took 217 on third, going for the gold, but he missed the jerk. Joughili had been on the sidelines for all of this, but now it was time for his second attempt, 219, and when he made it, it put him in silver medal position. Back to Aljuaifri who took 220 in an effort to keep his Syrian competitor at bay, but after cleaning the weight, he lost the bar as he was adjusting it for the jerk. One left: Joughili, being heavier, needed three kilos to overtake Aljuaifri, so 222 went on the bar and as if the guy didn't have enough pressure on him, when he was chalking up, his coach waved him back down, obviously thinking that there was a mistake in the scoreboard - which there wasn't. They exchanged a couple of sentences and then Joughili went back up, but he clearly was a little uncertain about whether or not he was supposed to be lifting, but he shook it off, attacked the bar, made the lift and now he's the Asian Games champion. Joughili finished with 392 kg, Aljuaifri with 391 and Akhmetov with 388.

Following the multiple positive doping results produced by Russian and Iranian weightlifters, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) suspended the guilty athletes and imposed massive fines on the two federations, but did not suspend them - leaving some people wondering why not.

IWF president Dr. Tamas Ajan answered the question for IronMind, explaining that while suspension of the entire federation had been a disciplinary measure used for doping offenses in the past, he championed a change in this procedure, saying, "We don't want to punish the innocent competitors."

To understand these dynamics, consider the example of the eleven Iranian weightlifters who were recently tested by WADA: Although nine were positive, notably, the sport's superstar - superheavyweight Hossein Rezazadeh - was one of the two who were negative in this extremely high level test. Dr. Ajan said that under the prior system, "the first star of weightlifting, Hossein Rezazadeh, would have been ineligible to compete at either the 2006 World Weightlifting Championships or here at the Asian Games. Personally, I made a proposal," Dr. Ajan said, to change this.

As has been widely reported, the Iranian Weightlifting Federation was fined US$400,000 and a source close to the Iranian weightlifting team told IronMind that US$150,000 has already been paid, with the balance due in installments.

"Why so much money" asked Dr. Ajan, going on to explain that the IWF has already spent over US$500,000 on doping tests this year. Added to this substantial financial burden, he said, is the need to offset the loss of income resulting from sponsors either withdrawing or being more conservative in their support following positive doping incidents. Dr. Ajan also said that part of the IWF's anti-doping program is to stimulate better education and more frequent testing in the countries that are producing positive doping results, which is expensive.

The huge fines being levied for these recent offenses have gotten plenty of attention within the weightlifting world, not the least of which is coming from the federations at the receiving end. How effective are the fines compared to the suspensions? "They are taken much more seriously," Dr. Ajan said.

Doha - The prize here was bragging rights as the strongest women in Asian weightlifting, which is to say the world, because in the last couple of years, the world championship title has come down to the duel between Jang Mi Ran (Korea) and Mu Shuangshua (China) . . . the two favorites in this class.


Mu Shuangshuang finishes the pull on her 139-kg world record snatch at the Asian Games today. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Jang Mi Ran, who came into the 2006 Asian Games as the world and Asian record holder in the snatch at 138 kg, opened first, with a routine 130 kg. Mu, who outweighed Jang by nearly twenty kilos, shadowed her and hit an easy 131 for her first attempt. The bodyweight point is especially important for this pair because in both the 2005 and 2006 World Weightlifting Championships, Jang has edged out Mu for the gold on bodyweight.

The same pattern prevailed in the second attempts: Jang nailed 135 and Mu followed with 136. Now, the time had come for the final, serious attempts and Jang once again led the way, calling for 139 kg in an attempt to break her Asian and world records. She ripped up the bar, but sent it over her head and now it it Mu's turn at the same weight, which she made, so she went into the clean and jerks with a four kilo lead, as well as the Asian and world records in the snatch.

Mu got things rolling in the clean and jerk with an easy 167 first attempt, followed by Jang doing the same with 171, to move past Mu for the early lead. Mu went next, with a good 174, to recapture the lead, and then Jang answered with 178 to leapfrog over her. Mu pushed the stakes up higher when she made 178 on her third attempt - this good lift forced Jang to take 182 for her third attempt - equal to her own Asian and world record in the clean and jerk - in a bid for the gold medal. She cleaned the weight strongly, but sent the jerk over her head. Mu ended her six-for-six day with the gold medal and a world record. Mu totaled 317, Jang had 313 for the silver medal and Annipa Moontar picked up the bronze medal with her 265-kg total.

Doha - With his teammate getting top honors in the 85s, the stage was set for Ilya Ilin to keep Kazakhstan on a roll.


Ilya Ilin continued his winning ways at the Asian Games today - winning the 94-kg category and breaking his own Asian record in the clean and jerk with this lift of 226 kg. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

All eyes were on the Ilya Ilin, who didn't disappoint his fans: rolling through three good snatches - 162 kg, 166 kg and then 171 kg - he was off to a good start, but it was the clean and jerk that held the promise of fireworks.

Opening with 205, he got knocked back on a his heels a little when he caught the bar, but he hung on, stood up and punched the the weight overhead. Next up was 215, which he once again dispatched without hesitation. Ilin came into the contest holding the Asian record in the clean and jerk, at 225 kg, and he left still owning the record, only he bumped it up to 226 on his third attempt - once again got rocked a little on the clean, but stayed with it, and then left no doubt about the jerk. Ilin finished with a 397-kg total, followed by Lee Ung Jo (Korea) with 370. Hsieh Wei Chun (Tapei) bumped Ramzi Al Mahrous (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) on bodyweight, getting the bronze medal with a 355-kg total.

Doha - Looking at the openers, nobody would have bet on either good number or a big battle in the 85-kg class at the Asian Games, but sometimes being wrong is good.


Hitting this 175-kg snatch on his third attempt put Vyacheslav Yershov on the road to gold in the 85-kg class at the Asian Games today. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

The snatches ended with Vyacheslav Yershov (Kazakhstan) leading with 175, followed by Lu Yong (China) who was in at 167, and then Kim Seon Jong (Korea) with 155. Of the leaders, Kim opened first in the clean and jerk with a good 186, and he went on to make 192 for his second attempt. Yershov put away 195 to get on the board with his first attempt, with Lu following him for a successful opener with the same weight, as well. Kim, in a bid to get the bronze medal, took 200 on his third attempt, and he made a good lift - this was a 9 kg jump over his second attempt, as an indication of his commitment. Both Yershov and Lu made 202 for their second attempts, and then the jockeying started: Lu was heavier and he was down 8 kg. After several changes, Lu came out to face 211, chasing the gold medal position - 9 kg jumps were getting popular. Lu got under the bar, but could not stand up - it was a great try, though, and a very nice ending to to the 85s, as Yershov passed on his third attempt. Yershov got the gold with 377, Yu the silver with 369, and Kim the bronze with 355.

Doha - Ace weightlifting coach and MILO author Jim Schmitz will tell that if you want to win, you need to make your lifts - and the medalists in the 75-kg category at the Asian Games today just underlined Schmitz's point.


75-kg Asian Games gold medalist Cao Lei gets set, about to clean and jerk over double bodyweight. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Gold medalist Cao Lei (China) went six for six, as did silver medalist Mya Sanda Oo (Myamar), and bronze medalist Kim Soon Hee (Korea), going for the silver, missed only her final jerk - is Jim Schmitz right, or what?

This class, even if not producing any records, showcased some terrific women's lifting - all three medalists did a tremendous job knocking off their lifts: Kim put it on the line going for what she needed to move up, Oo executed her lifts with impressive power, and Cao showed great platform presence throughout the competition. Cao ended with 120/152, Oo with 110/140 and Kim with 110/136.

Doha - "When he came out, I thought Mariusz [Pudzianowski] was here for a second," said strongman's own Colin Bryce, who is here covering Wushu and bodybuilding at the Asian Games, and also has been able to catch some weightlifting in his free time every day.


This 168-kg snatch was the only lift Li Hongli missed all night - the muscular lifter won the gold medal in the 77-kg category at the Asian Games today. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Li Hongli (China) certainly has an amazing physique and while he has always been able to snatch half a house, he has often been let down by his jerk - he might have turned a corner, though, because he won the 2005 World Weightlifting Championships and tonight he became the Asian Games champion as well.

Nader Abbas (Qatar) stuck 150 on his opener, and Lee Jeong Jae (Korea), after having missed the weight twice, came back for a successful lift. Harem Ali (Iraq) ripped up 151 on his first attempt, and then he and Abbas both missed 155 on their second attempts, but came back to make the weight when they repeated. Li made easy work of 160 and then 165, before launching 168 up and over his head.

Of the leaders, Abbas started first in the clean and jerk, with a good 185, jerking the weight with his characteristically wide grip. Fast forward a couple of attempts, and Ali made a nice opener with 186, followed by Lee making a not-too-easy-looking 187 for his first attempt. Abbas missed the jerk with 190 on his second attempt, and Lee made 191 on his second - it looked better than his opener. Even with the added fuel of Yani Marchokov (who will be lifting as Jaber later this week) yelling at him, Abbas missed the jerk again - this time it was with 192 on his third attempt. Ali, who had shown some real fire in the snatches, missed the jerk with 193 on his second attempt, while Li made another good lift, hitting it for his second attempt. Ali only deadlifted 193 on his third attempt, and Li, calling for 196, made a good lift and for the first time tonight, showed some signs of the shakiness that has plagued his jerks in the past. Lee, in the great Korean tradition of loading up a big one and then going for it, cleaned 200, only to miss the jerk.

Li finished with 361 and Lee made 341 - nudging Ali out of the silver medal on bodyweight.

Doha - It was easy for her: Liu Haixa (China) won the gold medal in the women's 69-kg category by 30 kg at the Asian Games today.


Liu Haixa starts 115 kg on its way. She ended the night with 115/150 for the gold medal in the women's 69-category at the Asian Games today. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Liu ended the evening with a 115-kg snatch and a 150-kg clean and jerk, for a 265-kg total. Pan Yar Thet (Myamar) blasted up six good lifts, finishing with a 230-kg total and the silver medal. Korea's Kim Mi Kyung got the bronze, with 223.

Doha - Coming into the Asian Games, Pawina Thongsuk (Thailand) held the world records in the snatch and the total - today, she left with the gold medal in the 63-kg class, along with the world record in the jerk.


She's not showboating: Pawina Thongsuk chases 142 kg to the front edge of the platform at the Asian Games today - she made the lift, for a world record, as she won the gold medal in the 63-kg category. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

This class promised and proved to be a battle between Ouyang Xiaofang (China) Thongsuk. Thongsuk was first out in the snatch, with a strong 105-kg opener. Ouyang followed with an easy 110-kg first attempt, and then Thongsuk answered with the same weight on her second attempt. Ouyang had 115 up and down, in and out, for no lift on her second attempt, and then Thongsuk got brushed in back of the neck as she missed the same weight on her third attempt. Ouyang finished off the snatches with a good lift with 115 for her third attempt.

Ouyang opened first in the clean and jerks, with a nice 132 - the clean looked very easy and the lift put her in first place position. Thongsuk opened with the same weight, going for second place position, and she staggered forward to save the jerk, working to save the lift. Ouyang took 137 on her second attempt and she collapsed on the jerk, apparently injured. Thongsuk took 137 on her second attempt, going for the gold medal position and while she had to walk forward to save the jerk, the attempt looked better than her first one. Ouyang did not come out for her third attempt, and you could see her knee bandaged as she hobbled around the warmup room. On her third attempt, Thongsuk, gold medal in hand, called for a world record attempt in the jerk of 142 kg. She cleaned the weight strongly, and once she drove the bar up for the jerk, it was off to the races, as she ran to the front edge of the platform, chasing the bar and trying to save the lift - which she did. Thongsuk finished with a 252-kg total, Ouyang had 247, and Faw Thaw Yae (Myamar) made 227.

Doha - The 69-kg category saw members of the Chinese Weightlifting team once again sort out the gold and silver medals among themselves as the battle for top honors was waged between Zhang Guozheng and Shi Zhiyong.


Zhang Guozheng squat jerks 184 kg to win the gold medal in the 69-kg category at the Asian Games today. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Shi, the snatch ace, opened with 145 kg and stuck it; Zhang followed and made the same weight on his first attempt. Both lifters then made 150 on their second attempts. Zhang finished with a good 152 kg for his third attempt, while Zhi, knowing that Zhang is deadly on the clean and jerk, moved up to 155, which he handled easily.

Both of these lifters are squat jerkers, and Shi got into trouble when he tried to power jerk his opener, 175, which he lost. Zhang took the same weight, and squat jerked it with less than no effort. Shi came back to make an easy lift with the same 175 on his second attempt. Kim Sun Bae (Korea) was the only other lifter with any attempts left at this point, and after cleaning 180 kg on his second attempt, he dumped the bar. Zhang took the same weight for his second attempt, manhandled it, and moved into first place. Shi answered with the same 180 kg on his third attempt, making a nice lift which he had to walk with a little to save, but the effort pushed him past Zhang, for the moment. Kim took 180 again for his third attempt, and this time he missed the jerk behind. Zhang holds the world record at 197 kg, so you can imagine that he wasn't intimidated by the prospect of facing off with 184 kg for the lead and he made it pretty easily - clearly very happy with his win, Zhang celebrated with a cartwheel. Zhang Guozheng ended up with a 336-kg total, edging out Shi Zhiyong by one kg. Kim Sun Bae totaled 307, for the bronze medal.

Doha - One way to keep a Chinese weightlifter from winning a gold medal at the 2006 Asian Games is to enter two in a class - sure, one still wins, but the other one gets the silver medal . . . at least that's the way it went in the 62-kg category today.


Celebrating his victory, Qui Le hits the ground as his winning lift - a 175-kg clean and jerk - bounces on the platform at the Asian Games today. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Teammates Qiu Le and Mao Jia were listed for identical openers and it soon became apparent that unless there was a serious miscue, they were going to make their class a two-horse race for the top honors. Both lifters nailed 136 kg for their opening snatch, and while Qiu made a good lift with 140 on his second attempt, Mao missed the same weight. Mao came back to make the 140 on his third attempt, but then Qiu, who was heavier, made 142. Qiu led off again in the clean and jerk, making a good 168, and then Mao missed the squat jerk on the same weight and he repeated - this time, he made an easy, silky-smooth lift. Qiu made another good lift with 173 on his second attempt and then Mao took 175 on his third, in a bid to move into gold medal position. He made a good lift but his lead was short lived because Qiu followed with the same weight, made a very nice lift and pushed his teammate down to the silver medal. Qui totalled 317, Mao got 315, and Im Yong Su (North Korea) hit 300 via 135/165.

Doha - Not just for weightlifting, but for all sports in the 2006 Asian Games, Chan Yanqing (China) just broke the first world record, and before she was done, she added four more.


Chen Yanqing hits the bottom with 140 kg - besides winning the gold medal in the 58-kg category at the Asian Games today, she broke five senior world and Asian records. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Needless to say, the women's 58-kg category at the Asian Games today was all Chen Yanqing. When everyone else was done snatching, she opened with a good 103, followed by another nice lift with 108, and she ended her run with 111 for a new world record. If that seemed like a good series of lifts, consider her clean and jerks, where, once again, she started after the rest of the class was done. Opening with a good lift at 131, she nailed the gold medal and broke the senior world as well as the Asian record in the total, pushing it to 242 kg. Taking 137 kg on her second attempt, Chen once again made a good lift and reset the records she had just broken. The lift looked quite easy although she seemed to be shaking a little as she set up for the jerk. And if it was easy, with five good lifts so far, why not add one more? So for her third attempt, Chen knocked 140 kg out of the park, which broke the senior and Asian world records in both the jerk and the total.

Doha - On paper, it looked like the men's 56-kg category would be a battle between 2006 World Weightlifting Championships gold medalist Li Zheng (China) and 2006 World Weightlifting Championships bronze medalist Hoang Anh Tuan (Vietnam), and that's just how it turned out.


Li Zheng pulls himself under 157 kg, on his way to the clean and jerk that gave him the gold medal in the 56-kg category at the Asian Games today. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Hoang opened with a very nice 123-kg snatch, and Lee Jong Hoon (Korea), who had smoked 120 kg on his opener, followed him, on his second attempt, for another good lift with the same weight. Li Zheng hit a very nice 125 for a good first attempt. Cha (North Korea) made 126 on his second attempt, and then Hoang made the same weight for his second attempt - it looked more solid than his opener, so things were looking good for the Vietnamese lifter. Irawan (Indonesia) missed 126 on his third, sending the bar up and over his head, and then Lee did the same thing. Li made 128 on his second attempt, although it looked a little shaky overhead. Cha missed the same weight on his third attempt, and then Hoang wrapped up his snatches with a sweet lift at the same weight. Li answered with a good 130, although it required some adjustments in the bottom position.

Lee made a good opening clean and jerk with 150, as did Cha and Irawan. Li opened with a good 152, followed by a very restrained celebration. Cha missed the jerk on 153, and then got buried going under the same weight on his third attempt. Hoang opened with 154, but missed the jerk, and Lee did the same thing with 154 on his second attempt. Hoang came back and made 154 on second, with a wide, deep split, and this must have inspired Lee, because he also made the weight, for his third attempt. Wang Shin Yuan, who was 12 kg down after the snatches, opened with 155, made a nice lift, and moved up to fifth place. Irawan couldn't stand up with 155 on his second, and Li made a good second attempt with the weight, with a lift that was a carbon copy of his first attempt. Irawan, going for third place, took 156, cleaned the weight, but lost the bar when he adjusted for the jerk. Hoang, letting it all hang out, took 157 on his third and made a good lift, much like his second attempt, moving into gold medal position, but not for long, because Li answered with 157 to leapfrog over Huang. Wang still had two attempts, and first he missed the jerk with 159 and then he couldn't get under it on his third attempt.

Lots of young talent in this class, so watch for fireworks in Beijing: Li got the gold with 287, Hoang was good for the the silver with 285, and Lee took home the bronze with 277.

Doha - Li Ping (China) was pushed hard by Junpim Kuntatean (Thailand), but in the end, the junior world record holder in the jerk and in the total prevailed.


Li Ping (China) drives herself under 129 kg, going for a handful of world records at the Asian Games. She missed the lift, but won the gold medal in the women's 53-kg category. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

The snatches in this class were characterized by a lot of misses: Just over 50% of the lifts were good and all six attempts at 95 kg were missed. The heat was turned up a notch in the clean and jerks, as Li made a solid, stoic lift with 123 kg on her opener, for first-place position. Kuntatean, who had opened with a good 120, took 124 kg on her second attempt, going for first on bodyweight and she made a nice lift - she had to work to recover on the clean, but she made a very strong jerk. Li took 126 on her second attempt, tying her junior world record in the total, and she made another good lift - just like her first attempt. Not rolling over and playing dead, Kuntatean called for 127 on her third, going for the gold medal, but she could not stand up with the weight. Li, gold medal in hand, went for 129 on her third attempt: If successful, it would break her junior world record in the jerk and the total, as well as the senior world record in the jerk. The clean looked much like her first two attempts, but she missed the jerk, getting clocked in the back of the head as the bar came back down. Li won the gold with a 224-kg total; Kuntatean got the silver with 221 and Yu Wei Li (Hong Kong - China) beat Raema Lisa Rumbewas (Indonesia) on bodyweight for the bronze with a total of 207 kg.

Doha - It was Wang Mingjuan (China) and then all the others in the women's 48-kg category at the Asian Games today.


Wang Mingjuan got under 118 kg, equal to her junior world record in the clean and jerk, but she could not stand up with it. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Not quite up to the standard of her three junior world records, Wang was still in a class by herself today, winning the 48-kg category with a 206-kg total. Silver went to Laosirikul (Thailand) with 192, and her teammate, Bunphithak, got the bronze with 191. Miyake (Japan) had looked to be in the hunt for a medal, but she missed her first two jerks, putting herself out of contention for a podium finish. Wang, while dominant, was not at her strongest, as she had to work to stand up with 112 and 116 on her first and second cleans, respectively; when she took 118 on her third, it was apparent why she did not attack her on own world record in the jerk, because while she pulled in the weight, she could not stand up with it.

Doha - China's Dong Feng was the big news in the superheavyweight class at the 2006 World Weightlifting Championships - a junior who burst on the scene and served notice that the Chinese Weightlifting Federation just might be fielding a top +105 kg weightlifter in 2008.


Dong Feng nailed this 192-kg snatch at the 2006 World Weightlifting Championships; he tried 198 kg on his third attempt, but missed it. Randall J. Strossen, Ph.D. photo.

Dong Feng didn't waste any time making a big splash at the World Weightlifting Championships this year, where he missed a junior world record attempt in the snatch (198), but then he cleaned and jerked 245 kg for the junior world record in the jerk and in the total (437 kg).

Because of this, Dong Feng became a lifter of significant interest, but a source close to the Chinese weightlifting team just told IronMind that only days ago, Dong injured his leg in training and so he will not be here in Doha to compete in the Asian Games, as his primary focus is the 2008 Olympics, which will be in Beijing.