Pak Myong Jin (Photos by UWW/Giorgio Scala/Deepbluemedia)
The drama and excitement in one of the most memorable weightlifting sessions of recent years continued after the final lift had been made on the second day of the IWF World Wrestling Championships in Ningbo, China.
When the jury had deliberated and the result was called in the 65kg contest, North Korea had its second world champion in successive days, Hampton Morris had come “as close as I could have gotten” to becoming the first male American world champion since Joe Dube in 1969, and the favourite from China had lost two of his world records and finished sixth on total.
All three medallists on total – Pak Myong Jin, Muhammed Furkan Ozbek from Turkiye, and Morris – made world records in successive lifts and it looked as though Morris had made it four in a row when he lifted the 189kg he needed to overtake Myong Jin.
Morris screamed with delight and celebrated with his coach, his father Tripp, off the platform. But the NOrth Korean contingent were celebrating, too, because one referee and all four jury members has given red lights for the lift.
After deliberations that extended the drama for another minute or two, Morris’s attempt was deemed a no-lift for bending and extending. He had briefly held a world record – a clean and jerk of 185kg – but the 189kg failure after five good lifts left him third on 143-185-328.
Last year’s champion Ozbek had led and bettered the world record on total when he finished with a six-from-six 147-183-330.
But Myong Jin, who also won at the Asian Games in Japan last month, claimed gold when he made his final attempt for 144-187-331. Myong Jin also took world records in clean and jerk and total from the man he edged out in Japan, He Yueji from China.
Since moving up from 61kg a year ago, Myong Jin has improved his best total by 25kg.
He Yueji won snatch gold but dropped to ninth in clean and jerk and sixth on total after failing twice on 177kg. He made 148-167-315 and on a disappointing day for the host nation his team-mate Ding Honjie, third in snatch, was fourth overall on 146-179-325.
He Yueji, who is coached by the double Olympic champion Shi Zhiyong and is one of China’s big hopes for the Los Angeles Olympic Games, did not look as though he had had a perfect preparation – unlike Morris and Ozbek.
The American was clearly disappointed with that jury decision, but said, “I’m entirely proud of what I did. I showed exactly what I’m capable of and I know I’ll be capable of more next time.
“I feel very good about the progress I’ve made, especially in snatch (this was his third straight three-from-three in snatch). I knew if I made my lifts I’d have the opportunity to win and to break the world record on total.
“This was not the result I wanted or have worked for, but it’s about as close as I could have gotten. I’m showing the work I’m putting in and I’m excited for my future.”
Ozbek also looked in top condition as he improved his best total at this weight by 6kg. His team-mate Ferdi Hardal had bombed out in the B Group, which featured a remarkable, record-breaking performance in the B Group by 17-year-old Thanh Duy Nguyen from Vietnam.
Nguyen claimed youth world records in clean and jerk and total, beating the world standard by 11kg on 130-166-296. That is about 20kg more than Morris was making at the same age when he lifted in the 61kg category.
In the past year Nguyen has improved by 20kg, having won at the Asian Youth Games on 276kg in Bahrain last October, and he is clearly capable of going past the 300kg mark.
Today he failed with two attempts at the snatch world record and missed his final clean and jerk on 170kg. He is in the IWF Qualifier in Qatar in December with an entry total of 310kg and is one to watch.
Another notable entrant in Qatar is Theerapong Silachai, the Olympic 61kg silver medallist from Thailand who moves up to 65kg for the first time.
