Emily Ibanez smashes seven youth world records (Photo by Photos by UWW/Giorgio Scala/Deepbluemedia)
Song Kuk-Hyang started with a no-lift before setting three world records in the best women’s performance so far at the IWF World Weightlifting Championships in Ningbo, China.
The 69kg contest also featured a phenomenal effort by 15-year-old Emily Ibanez, who claimed seven youth world records for Kosovo in the B Group and finished fifth behind Kuk-Hyang.
North Korea’s renowned head coach Kim Chun Hui has not looked happy with some of her athletes at these Championships despite their results. Yesterday, she was smiling and applauding as soon as Song was on the scoreboard, and at the end she was positively beaming as Kuk-Hyang had the luxury of declining her final attempt when 16kg clear of her team-mate Ri Suk.
Kuk-Hyang bettered all three of her own world records on 122-153-275, securing her third straight world title and putting herself well in contention for the women’s Best Lifter award in Olympic qualifying.
If a team has athletes ranked in the top eight in more than three weight categories it can gain a bonus place at the Olympic Games by winning the Best Lifter award. The quota limit is three per gender but a fourth place can be won through the new Best Lifter rules.
Kuk-Hyang’s GAMX points score was 1317, by far the best to date in Ningbo. The only other athlete in Ningbo who has ever scored more than 1300 points as a senior is Karlos Nasar, who lifts on Wednesday.
Ri Suk, up at this weight for the first time, made 112-147-259 and Julieth Rodriguez was third for Colombia on 109-136-245.
Siuzanna Valodzka from Belarus was fourth on 108-136-244, down 2kg on her 71kg total at the Paris Olympic Games, where she finished fourth.
Then came the remarkable Emily Ibanez, who bettered all three of her own youth world records on 106-134-240. That is 12kg more than the youth world standard total, which Ibanez surpassed for the first time last month when she won the European junior title.
For context, the American Olympic champion Olivia Reeves was 19 and a 71kg athlete when she first hit the 240s in an international competition and today’s winner Kuk-Hyang was 18 and also a 71.
Such was the depth of talent in this most popular category of all – 48 entries across four sessions – the B group included three continental champions, one of whom was an Olympic medallist, and a junior world record holder. Ibanez beat them all, then finished ahead of eight A Group athletes after setting seven youth world records in all.
Her 20-year-old brother Brayan withdrew from the 85kg C session yesterday because of illness but he was in the family coaching and support team today, alongside parents Abigail Guerrero and Ciro Ibanez.
The family left Canada and have switched to Kosovo, where Ciro helps with coaching and development, after plans to compete for Spain, Abigail’s homeland, fell through. They are due to move into a new home in Pristina, the capital, in January.
“Kosovo is being great to us, they welcome us. We are happy to bring the flag of Kosovo all over the world,” said Ciro, who is unsure whether Ibanez will take up her entry in the IWF Qualifier in Qatar in December after two big competitions in 18 days.
