MUSCAT: Oman national weightlifting team concluded their participation at the Asian Weightlifting Championship in Gandhinagar, India, following competitive performances by the Sultanate of Oman’s three lifters against some of Asia’s elite athletes. The prestigious continental championship, which concluded on Sunday, featured participation of nearly 200 weightlifters representing 31 countries, including Olympic medallists, world champions and top-ranked Asian athletes.
Oman were represented by Elyas al Busaidy, Amer al Khanjari and Murshid al Ajmi in different weight categories. In the Men’s 71 kg category, Elyas al Busaidy delivered a determined performance after recording a total lift of 277 kg. Competing in Group A, Elyas lifted 121 kg in the snatch and followed it with 156 kg in the clean and jerk event. The category witnessed a very high technical level as North Korea’s Ri Won Ju dominated the competition to secure the gold medal with an impressive total of 351 kg, including 154 kg in snatch and 197 kg in clean and jerk. China’s Chen Jian claimed second place with a total of 335 kg while India’s Ajith Narayana finished third with 314 kg. Despite the tough competition, Elyas succeeded in gaining valuable experience while competing against some of the continent’s strongest lifters.
Meanwhile, Omani lifter Amer al Khanjari competed in the highly competitive Men’s 88 kg category, which witnessed outstanding performances and new world records from North Korea’s Ro Kwang-Ryol, who secured first place with a total of 387 kg after setting new world records in the clean and jerk event with lifts of 217 kg and 220 kg. China’s Pan Yunhua finished second with 369 kg while South Korea’s Lee Seongwon secured third place with 368 kg. Amur faced an unfortunate setback during the clean and jerk competition after timing errors by the coaching staff resulted in him failing to complete his attempts successfully despite showing promising performance during the snatch event.
In the Men’s 94 kg category, Murshid al Ajmi competed against a strong field led by China’s Tu Yi, who claimed first place with a total of 386 kg. Uzbekistan’s Mukhammadkodir Toshtemirov finished second with 373 kg while Turkmenistan’s Rustem Annaberdiyev secured third with 354 kg. Murshid recorded a successful 140 kg lift in the snatch competition but was unable to register a valid lift in the clean and jerk after unsuccessful attempts at 183 kg.
The Asian Championship marked another important international appearance for the Omani lifters, who continue to gain exposure and experience at the highest continental level. The Omani trio entered the championship following a series of positive results in recent regional events, particularly at the Arab Cup and West Asian Championship in Qatar last December where the national team collected an impressive 17 medals.
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