Doha: The curtain fell Friday evening on the three combined championships: the 10th Qatar International Weightlifting Cup, the Arab Championships for youth, junior, and senior categories, and the West Asian Championships for the same age groups. Organized by the Qatar Weightlifting Federation, the seven-day event featured some of the most prominent male and female weightlifters from across the Arab world and Asia.
According to Qatar News Agency, the final day witnessed fierce competition in the 110 kg and over 110 kg weight classes for men, youth, and juniors in all three championships. The competition was intense, with medals only being decided in the final lift for each weightlifter. Following the conclusion of the competitions, the event’s closing ceremony was held. HE First Vice President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC); Vice President of the International Weightlifting Federation; and President of the Qatari, Arab, Asian, and Afro-Asian Weightlifting Federations, Mohammed bin Yousef Al Mana honored a number of prominent leaders who have contributed effectively to the development of weightlifting and enhanced its standing locally, regionally, and internationally.
The honorees included AbdulaIlah bin Saad Al Dallak, Assistant Minister of Sports of Saudi Arabia; Jassim Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Secretary General of the Qatar Weightlifting Federation; Khalid Abdulaziz Nabina, Assistant Secretary General; Mohammed Ahmed Al Harbi, President of the Saudi Weightlifting Federation; Abdulrahman Al Jatlawi, President of the Libyan Weightlifting Federation; Mohammed Kazem Al Muzal, President of the Iraqi Weightlifting Federation; Abdullah Al Kuwari, one of the founders of the Qatar Weightlifting Federation; Khalid Al-Mahalhal, President of the African Weightlifting Federation; Fathi Al Masoudi, President of the Tunisian Weightlifting Federation and a member of the International Weightlifting Federation; Abdullah Al Jarmal, Vice President of the Arab Weightlifting Federation; Jassim Al Awadhi and Faisal Al Hammadi, former members of the UAE Weightlifting Federation’s Board of Directors; and Ibrahim Hassouna, coach of the national weightlifting team.
All the honorees expressed their pride in this generous gesture, which reflects the spirit of unity and collaboration among the various federations. They affirmed that this recognition serves as a strong incentive to continue their tireless work and efforts to advance weightlifting throughout the region.
Al Mana also presented the awards to the winning teams in the three tournaments. In the Arab Championship, Saudi Arabia claimed the title of Best Men’s Team after finishing first with 603 points, ahead of Egypt in second place with 514 points, and Syria in third with 506 points. Egypt won the title of Best Women’s Team after finishing first with 616 points, followed by Tunisia in second place with 546 points, and Algeria in third with 436 points.
In the Youth category, Saudi Arabia again secured the title of Best Team, winning first place with 606 points. Syria came in second with 581 points, and Egypt finished third with 554 points. In the Junior Women’s category, Egypt claimed the title of Best Team after finishing first with 636 points. Tunisia came in second with 387 points, and Saudi Arabia finished third with 331 points.
In the junior category, Saudi Arabia won the title of best team after finishing first with 626 points. The UAE came in second with 363 points, and Libya finished third with 344 points. In the junior girls’ category, Saudi Arabia also won the title of best team, finishing first with 514 points. Syria came in second with 318 points, and Egypt finished third with 252 points.
In the West Asian Championship, the men’s category saw Saudi Arabia crowned best team after finishing first with 236 points, ahead of Yemen in second place with 209 points. Syria finished third with 184 points. In the women’s category, Saudi Arabia won the title of best team after finishing first with 156 points. Kuwait came in second with 116 points, and the UAE finished third with 95 points.
In the youth category, Saudi Arabia claimed the title of best team after finishing first with 209 points. Syria came in second with 205 points, and Jordan finished third with 132 points. In the junior girls’ category, Saudi Arabia also secured the title of best team, finishing first with 129 points. Syria came in second with 84 points, and Bahrain finished third with 28 points.
In the junior boys’ category, Saudi Arabia claimed the title of best team, finishing first with 215 points. The UAE came in second with 130 points, and Kuwait finished third with 97 points. In the junior girls’ category, Saudi Arabia again claimed the title of best team, finishing first with 182 points. Syria came in second with 84 points, and Jordan and Bahrain shared third place, each with 25 points.
On the final day, the 110 kg and over 110 kg weight classes witnessed fierce competition across all categories in the three championships. Following the competitions, the winners in these two weight classes, as well as the over 94 kg category, were crowned. In the men’s over 110 kg category, UAE’s weightlifter Mahmoud Al Najjar secured three gold medals: one in the snatch with a lift of 175 kg, another in the clean and jerk with a lift of 221 kg, and a third in the total with a total weight of 396 kg.
In the 110 kg youth category, Qatari weightlifter Fares Ahmed Jaber won three gold medals: one in the snatch with a lift of 151 kg, another in the clean and jerk with a lift of 201 kg, and a third in the total with a combined weight of 352 kg. Syrian weightlifter Ali Ismail won three silver medals: one in the snatch with a lift of 146 kg, another in the clean and jerk with a lift of 173 kg, and a third in the total with a combined weight of 319 kg.
In the Qatar International Cup, Uzbek weightlifter Davranbek Hasanbayev won two gold medals: one in the snatch with a lift of 180 kg and another in the total with a weight of 380 kg. He also won a bronze medal in the clean and jerk with a lift of 200 kg. Saudi weightlifter Ali Ahmed Al Khazal won a gold medal in the clean and jerk with a lift of 203 kg, and two silver medals in the snatch with a lift of 169 kg, for a total weight of 372 kg.
The tournament concluded with the recognition of the extraordinary efforts of the athletes and organizers, marking another successful chapter in the history of weightlifting championships in the region.