2023 IWF Grand Prix I

After an incredible contest at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Jinju, the Republic of Korea on 03/05-13/05, we continue to observe the greatest moments of the next qualifying stages for the Olympic Games in Paris the next year. This time, we have some attention-worthy recap and stats of the former qualifying competition held in Havana, Cuba the previous month.

The most skillful and promising lifters all over the world kept going to compete in 10 Men’s and Women’s weight categories, having brought stellar results and broken world records.

What Is It?

The IWF Grand Prix I is another Paris 2024 qualification stage. Today, we’re going to review and highlight athletes who lead their categories.

To qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris the participating athletes have to take part in three contests of the defined list. The Grand Prix I in Havana is included there as the prior Asian Championships and European Weightlifting Championships in Yerevan.

When Did It Take Place?

The IWF Grand Prix I took place on 08/06-18/06 in Havana, Cuba.

WR Recap and Highlights 

Considering each country’s stats, Indonesia, the United States, and Ecuador were at their best, by surpassing the other participants greatly.

Let’s recall the incredible moments of this Grand Prix in Havana by mentioning the key highlights of the 11-day competition:

• A World Record in Snatch (121 kg) was set by Angie Palacios from Ecuador who beat the prior WR of 120 kg made by the Chinese athlete in the Asian Weightlifting Championships.
• Congrats to Solfrid Koanda from Norway on her winning start at a new weight. This time she got total gold in the 81 kg weight class with a total of 266 kg. We already know this young female lifter from the EWC in Yerevan: she participated in the category of 87 kg, by winning the total gold with 272 kg of total scores

Eko Yuli Irawan from Indonesia made his career-best performance in the category of 67 kg with the remarkable results of getting the gold in Snatch of 145 kg, Clean & Jerk – 176 kg, with a total of 321 kg. Being of the age of 33, he hit his career height by winning his fifth Olympic medal. Having moved from the category of 61 kg to 67 kg, he admitted that this time was his best in Snatch, Clean & Jerk, and total.

• The US team also showed great results among men by getting silver due to Hampton Morris at the 61 kg weight class with a total of 290 kg, Wes Kitts at the 102 kg weight class showing 388 kg total. While a US female athlete Taylor Wilkins also got silver in the category 59 kg with a total of 221 kg.
• Rahmat Erwin from Indonesia came almost close to set world records in total at the IWF Grand Prix in Cuba. However, he didn’t succeed to beat Karlos Nasar’s Clean & Jerk World Record of 221 kg with his incomplete attempt of 209 kg. Although, he got gold in Clean & Jerk in his category by lifting 202 kg.

An interesting fact of these tough competition rounds is that many lifters drop a sufficient percentage of their weight in order to compete in the new category. For instance, Tokyo champions Chen Lijun from China and Maude Charron from Canada switched their categories, and the 87 kg women’s world champion Solfrid Koanda from Norway also made her first out at 81 kg weight.

To sum up, this time, during the third Qualification stage for the Olympic Games, the World Record was set only by one lifter, Angie Paola Palacios Dajomes from Ecuador. She did the Total of 261 kg, WR Snatch is 121 kg, and C&J in 140 kg.

About the Upcoming Olympic Games in Paris and the Grand Prix I Qualifying Stage

In addition to the continental Championships and two Grand Prix Olympic Games qualifying events, you have an opportunity to spectate another IWF World Championships.

The next Olympic weightlifting competition of the world level will be held in just almost two months from the 4th to the 17th of September. This is another big important yearly competition in Olympic lifting that will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

So, follow our updates from the world of Olympic weightlifting and keep track of the new records that can influence the final ranking for the Games.

General Review

This year, IWF hosts two Grand Prix events, both of which are official qualification events for the Olympic Games in 2024. The first was held in Havana on 8 June to 18 June, and the second competition will take place in Doha, Qatar in early December.

This first Grand Prix promises to be attention-grabbing by featuring profound results, breaking new records, and performing athletes at their maximum to qualify for the Olympic Games. Together we’ll know new talents and promising stats that will break already-set records.

Final Stats

Men’s Results:

This time, we saw numerous last-minute withdrawals during this intense and breathtaking contest, which resulted in a low number of athletes who competed in their weight categories.

Men’s 55 kg:

Osmel Castillo Argote (CUB) — Total: 222 kg (Snatch: 98 kg /C&J: 124 kg)

Jose Fernando Ical Salazar (GUA) — Total: 210 kg (Snatch: 95 kg /C&J: 115 kg)

Men’s 61 kg:

Ricko Saputra (INA) — Total: 295 kg (Snatch: 134 kg /C&J: 161 kg)

Hampton Morris (USA) — Total: 290 kg (Snatch: 124 kg /C&J: 166 kg)

Arley Lazaro Licourt Calderon (CUB) — Total: 286 kg (Snatch: 125 kg /C&J: 161 kg)

Men’s 67 kg:

Eko Yuli Irawan (INA) — Total: 321 kg (Snatch: 145 kg /C&J: 176 kg)

Francisco Valencia Mosquera (COL) — Total: 311 kg (Snatch: 136 kg /C&J: 175 kg)

Sergio Massidda (ITA) — Total: 300 kg (Snatch: 135 kg /C&J: 165 kg)

Men’s 73 kg:

Ryan Grimsland (USA) — Total: 327 kg (Snatch: 145 kg /C&J: 182 kg)

Furkan Muhammed Ozbek (TUR) — Total: 324 kg (Snatch: 144 kg /C&J: 180 kg)

Andrei Fralou (AIN) — Total: 322 kg (Snatch: 141 kg /C&J: 181 kg)

Men’s 81 kg:

Rahmat Erwin Abdullah (INA) — Total: 358 kg (Snatch: 156 kg /C&J: 202 kg)

Gaygysyz Torayev (TKM) — Total: 319 kg (Snatch: 144 kg /C&J: 175 kg)

Men’s 89 kg:

Petr Asayonak (AIN) — Total: 368 kg (Snatch: 162 kg /C&J: 206 kg)

Nathan Damron (USA) — Total: 365 kg (Snatch: 165 kg /C&J: 200 kg)

Rashid Mahmoud Safaa Aljumaili (IRQ) — Total: 361 kg (Snatch: 161 kg/C&J: 200 kg)

Men’s 96 kg:

Pavel Khadasevich (AIN) — Total: 373 kg (Snatch: 170 kg /C&J: 203 kg)

Jose Luis Carpizo Lopez (MEX) — Total: 341 kg (Snatch: 151 kg /C&J: 190 kg)

Brandon Robert Jean Vautard (FRA) — Total: 336 kg (Snatch: 140 kg /C&J: 196 kg)

Men’s 102 kg:

Yauheni Tsikhantsou (AIN) — Total: 390 kg (Snatch: 178 kg /C&J: 212 kg)

Wesley Kitts (USA) — Total: 388 kg (Snatch: 177 kg /C&J: 211 kg)

Po–Jen Chen (TPE) — Total: 381 kg (Snatch: 173 kg /C&J: 208 kg)

Men’s 109 kg:

Yunseong Jin (KOR) — Total: 361 kg (Snatch: 165 kg /C&J: 196 kg)

Juan Saname Columbie (CUB) — Total: 355 kg (Snatch: 160 kg /C&J: 195 kg)

Moises Hernan Espinoza Viera (PER) — Total: 345 kg (Snatch: 145 kg /C&J: 200 kg)

Men’s 109+ kg:

Ali Davoudi (IRI) — Total: 441 kg (Snatch: 203 kg /C&J: 238 kg)

David Liti (NZL) — Total: 400 kg (Snatch: 174 kg /C&J: 226 kg)

Tamas Kajoci (SRB) — Total: 391 kg (Snatch: 175 kg /C&J: 216 kg)

Women’s Results:

The women’s category also had several last-minute withdrawals, so fewer female athletes were competing in their categories. However, there was a new World Record beaten by the Ecuadorian lifter Angie Palacios Dajomes in the weight category of 71 kg who performed a Snatch of 121 kg. So, she surpassed the prior World record of Liao Guifang from China who did 120 kg in Snatch at the Asian Weightlifting Championships 2023.

Women’s 45 kg:

Rosielis Coromoto Quintana Mendoza (VEN) — Total: 159 kg (Snatch: 68 kg /C&J: 91kg)

Thala Fidelia Castillo Contreras (CUB) — Total: 135 kg (Snatch: 60 kg /C&J: 75 kg)

Women’s 49 kg:

Beatriz Elizabeth Piron Candelario (DOM) — Total: 191 kg (Snatch: 86 kg /C&J: 105 kg)

Hayley Reichardt (USA) — Total: 190 kg (Snatch: 83 kg /C&J: 107 kg)

Dahnia Ortiz (DOM) — Total: 188 kg (Snatch: 83 kg /C&J: 105 kg)

Women’s 55 kg:

Jourdan Delacruz (USA) — Total: 195 kg (Snatch: 85 kg /C&J: 110 kg)

Shoely Mabel Mego Contreras (PER) — Total: 191 kg (Snatch: 87 kg /C&J: 104 kg)

Josee Gallant (CAN) — Total: 189 kg (Snatch: 86 kg /C&J: 103 kg)

Women’s 59 kg:

Janeth Gomez Valdivia (MEX) — Total: 223 kg (Snatch: 98 kg /C&J: 125 kg)

Taylor Wilkins (USA) — Total: 221 kg (Snatch: 97 kg /C&J: 124 kg)

Alina Shchapanava (AIN) — Total: 215 kg (Snatch: 95 kg /C&J: 120 kg)

Women’s 64 kg:

Dziyana Maiseyevich (AIN) — Total: 210 kg (Snatch: 94 kg /C&J: 116 kg)

Maria Camila Lobon Viafara (COL) — Total: 205 kg (Snatch: 90 kg /C&J: 115 kg)

Jian Han (KOR) — Total: 203 kg (Snatch: 94 kg /C&J: 109 kg)

Women’s 71 kg:

Angie Paola Palacios Dajomes (ECU) — Total: 261 kg (Snatch: 121 kg WR /C&J: 140 kg)

Valodzka Siuzanna (AIN) — Total: 242 kg (Snatch: 108 kg /C&J: 134 kg)

Olivia Reeves (USA) — Total: 241 kg (Snatch: 108 kg /C&J: 133 kg)

Women’s 76 kg:

Katherine Vibert (USA) — Total: 247 kg (Snatch: 110 kg /C&J: 137 kg)

Bella Nancy Paredes Arreaga (ECU) — Total: 245 kg (Snatch: 111 kg /C&J: 134 kg)

Diana Laura Garcia Hernandez (MEX) — Total: 228 kg (Snatch: 97 kg /C&J: 131 kg)

Women’s 81 kg:

Solfrid Koanda (NOR) — Total: 266 kg (Snatch: 116 kg /C&J: 150 kg)

Tamara Salazar Arce (ECU) — Total: 265 kg (Snatch: 116 kg /C&J: 149 kg)

Neisi Dajomes Barrera (ECU) — Total: 260 kg (Snatch: 118 kg /C&J: 142 kg)

Women’s 87 kg:

Ying-Yuan Lo (TPE) — Total: 235 kg (Snatch: 106 kg /C&J: 129 kg)

Dayana Lucia Mina Torres (ECU) — Total: 233 kg (Snatch: 103 kg /C&J: 130 kg)

Elizabeth Caridad Reyes Entenza (CUB) — Total: 229 kg (Snatch: 101 kg /C&J: 128 kg)

Women’s 87+ kg:

Mary Theisen-Lappen (USA) — Total: 277 kg (Snatch: 119 kg /C&J: 158 kg)

Sarah Robles (USA) — Total: 276 kg (Snatch: 126 kg /C&J: 150 kg)

Lisseth Betzaida Ayovi Cabezas (ECU) — Total: 266 kg (Snatch: 116 kg /C&J: 150 kg)