Won and Jiang clinch gold with stellar show

North Korea’s Hyon Sim Won yesterday clinched gold in the women’s 45kg on day two of the Qatar Cup IWF Grand Prix II taking place at Aspire Zone.Also yesterday, China’s Huihua Jiang won the gold in the women’s 49kg in what is an Olympic Games 2024 Paris qualifying tournament being contested by more than 400 lifters representing 102 countries.Won produced neat lifts of 181kg (82kg snatch and 99kg clean & jerk) to win the gold ahead of Rose Jean Ramos Amis of the Philippines. Ramos Amis settled for silver with 155kg (70kg snatch and 85kg clean & jerk).In the women’s 49kg competition, China’s Huihua won the gold medal with a total lift of 216kg (96kg and 120kg). North Korea’s Song Gum Ri secured the silver with overall lift of 213kg (93kg and 120kg). Ri Song won the silver medal with a total of 213kg and China’s Zhihui Hou’s overall lift of 209kg saw her get the bronze (96kg and 113kg).Meanwhile Ishaq Ibrahim Ishaq, President of the Bahrain Weightlifting Federation (BWF), yesterday outlined the upcoming competitions for the Bahraini national team lifters who are preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics. He said the Bahraini team – which is contesting the Doha leg of the Paris 2024 qualifiers – will also feature in events to to be held in Malaysia, Uzbekistan and Thailand between December 2023 and April 2024.The visiting delegate – while speaking to the media – said his federation is addressing all the needs of the Bahraini squad and providing the necessary resources to overcome any obstacles. He expressed his confidence in the players’ abilities and their potential to excel in international competitions.The BWF is also exploring the possibility of hosting the World Weightlifting Championships in December 2024. The hosting file has been reviewed and discussions are underway to finalise the date, official name, and marketing and technical aspects of the championship. Roles and responsibilities will be assigned to various committees in the coming days, he said.Also yesterday, Dr Ahmed al-Mubarqa, the Iraqi Minister of Youth and Sports, praised the organisation of the Qatar Weightlifting Federation for hosting the Dec 4-14 Olympic Games qualifier."The Qatar Cup IWF Grand Prix II is one of the most popular approved tournaments on the agenda of the International Weightlifting Federation. The presence of world’s best lifters confirms the standing of the tournament,” al-Mubarqa said.