Uzbekistan’s Akbar Djuraev couldn’t help but crack a sly smile, as the bar went crashing down on his final attempt at the 2025 IWF World Weightlifting Championships in Førde, Norway on Friday (10 October).
The two-time Olympic weightlifting medallist had never meant to lift the gargantuan weight of 245kg in clean and jerk; instead, he used his final attempt to play a harmless prank on the Norwegian crowd after already securing the men’s 110kg champion title earlier in the competition.
It’s hard to fault the 26-year-old for wanting to enjoy the moment, however, as he sought to overcome the sting of a second place finish in the men’s 102kg weight class at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
While that day reduced the Uzbek lifter to tears, Friday brought nothing but happiness for the now three-time world champion. He claimed the snatch world record with a lift of 196kg, and followed that up with a clean and jerk of 232kg to secure the total world record at 428kg.
His margin of victory over the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Alireza Nasiri sat at 13kg by the conclusion of the competition, with the Iranian lifter finishing on a total of 415kg to secure the silver medal.
There was even more joy to be had within the Uzbekistan team, as Ruslan Nurudinov claimed the final spot on the podium with a total of 414kg, rounding out a solid day of lifting for athletes from the Central Asian nation.
Competition in Førde will conclude on Saturday (11 October) with the women’s +86kg weight class and the men’s 110kg weight class.