The 2011 World Weightlifting Championships: The Women

The 2011 World Weightlifting Championships: The Women

TIAN Yuan (CHN) 90 kg like it was 90%.(Charniga photo)

48 kg class

TIAN Yuan (CHN) easily won this class in the absence of Taylan Nurcan (TUR). TIAN made three snatches with 85, 87 and 90 kg respectively. They looked like 85, 87 and 90% weights. So, had Taylan been in Paris, since, apparently it was TIAN’s turn to win this year, she would have a rough time overcoming this 18 year old. In the clean and jerk she made three good lifts with 111, 115 and 117 kg, just as in the snacth: as if they were 85, 87 and 90%. A senior world record of 122 would have been no problem. In May at the Chinese National Championships, the eighteen year from Hubei province made the following lifts at 48 kg: Snatch 90 – 93 – 95; jerk 115 – 120 – 123 = 218 kg total.

However, it is the Chinese way to do just enough to win and not to humiliate the opposition.

Both TIAN and Karpinska (POL) lift with the modern technique: jumping backwards slightly with a rearward bar trajectory. TIAN jerks the barbell from the chest very well with a fast and wide scissoring of the legs. She is able to overcome poor shoulder mobility and poor arm lock with a powerful scissoring of the legs. Of the other the other lifters in this session the THAI lifter KHAMSRI Panida jerks with very fast, efficient movements. Under ordinary circumstance her second place results of 80 + 107 would be very noteworthy, enough to win the 2011 European championships.

53 kg class

Chinshalno Zulfiya (KAZ) cleaning a new world record 130 kg for the glod medal. (Charniga photo)

Unlike the 48 kg this was a very competitive weight class which could have been more competitive.

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CHEN Xiaoting (CHN) was replaced by JI Jing (CHN) in this weight class. The 24 year old JI lifted 90 + 110 = 200 kg at the 2009 Chinese national Games as a 48 kg. One month before this championship she lifted 97 – 101 – 103 and 120 -125 – 125 = 228 kg at the Chinese national championships. So, it was a surprise to see her start with “only’ 93 kg. Her second with 98 was up easily but she lost balance and dropped it. Her third with 99 kg was not very close. Chinshalno (KAZ) made two good lifts with 93 and 97 kg but 100 was too much and dropped behind.

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Boyanka Kostova (AZB) the Bulgarian teenager who won the inaugaral Youth Olympics in 2010 is now lifting for Azerbaijan. She made two snatches to finish with 92 kg. However, she made only one clean and jerk. She made a poor effort to push jerk 115 kg on her second attempt then inexplicably dropped the same weight after struggling to clean it on her third. This was the same lifter who front squated 125 kg for four easy repetitions two days before her competition.

Boyanka Kostova (AZB) (Charniga photo)

Desdelin (TUR) made three good snatches with conservative jumps between attempts: 88 – 91 and 93 kg. She drops under the bar very fast despite what appears to be poor technique in the pull.

Yuderqui Contreas (DOM) the 2011 Pan American Champion cleaned her second with 115 kg with a wide hand spacing and after moving her hands a little wider, missed the jerk. She did the same thing her third with 115 kg, but it was even worse. 

Chinshanlo opend with 120 kg in the clean and jerk. Standing up from the squat with rediculous ease she carefully jerked the barbell to move into first place. Desdelin made her opener with 120

Jing (CHN) made two strange attempts at 127 kg. In both cases she lifted the weight to her chest in good form but made no effort to stand, she just dropped the weight and left. Already the champion, Chinshanloo stormed the world record weight  of 130 kg. She had equaled the current world record of 129 kg in Goyang to win the gold medal.

Here in Paris, she stood up with this weight if anthing, easier than her first two attempts, jerked with a bigger bend in her rear leg, but nonetheless lifted it with ease. If one’s thinking is still in the era of old ideas, about squatting power and the ability to recover from the clean it would seem a big squat especially a big front squat is the source of this ability. But the speed of the Kazak girl’s switching from descending in the clean to ascending precludes a big slow squat as the source of her ability to recover from the squat.

For example, assuming the girl from Azerbaijan could probably front squat at least 140 kg (remember she did 125 for four repetitions) it is hard to make the argument for the big squat when your clean and jerk is only 108 kg in competition with a front squat which is at least 129% of the clean and jerk.

You were left to wonder what the outcome would have been had JI Jing repeated her performance at the Chinese tryout one month earlier.

58 kg class

Novikava (BLR) snatches 101. (Charniga photo)

This category came down to a fight between 2009 World Champion LI Xueying (CHN) and Natassia Novikava (BLR). Novikava missed 104 kg twice after an easy opener with 101. The 104 kg lifts were not even close as she was unable to turn the weight over from what would appear to be too much tension in her arms. LI Xueying who made six precise lifts in Goyang dropped her opening 103 kg backwards. It looked like it was an easy weight for her. She repeated with this weight for a very easy lift on her second. Li was up by 2 kg and had the advantage of lighter bodyweight, but inexplicably she jumped 5 kg to 108 and lost it backwards. So, Novikava was still in the running for the gold medal.

LI Xueying (CHN) (Charniga photo)

In the battle for the bronze medal Yuliya Kalina (UKR) managed 100 kg on her third snatch after missing it on her second. She sank into a deep squat to secure this weight which she neglected to do on her 2nd attempt. Sirikaew Pimsiri (THA) made two goo lifts finishing with 99 kg.

 

In the clean and jerk Kalina started with an easy 123 kg; Novikava followed with a shaky clean but very strong jerk with 125. LI opened with an easy 128 to move into first place by 5 kg. Kalina took a big 5 kg jump to 128 for her second attempt. She jerked it forward for a miss. When she repeated with this weight she made what looked like a half scissors and half push jerk and it wasn’t even close. Novikava came out with 129 kg for her 2nd and made an easier lift than her first with 125. She was now down by one kilo. LI countered with a safe 131 kg. Although she looked good for 6 – 7 kg more, LI another safe jump to 133 kg; the same weight she lifted in Goyang to go up by 6 kg. This opened the door for Novikava who came out to make the easiest clean and jerk of her series with 136 kg and win the gold medal. LI made a 5 kg jump on her third snatch, but in the clean and jerk she her increments of 3 and 2 kg were smaller but with weights well within her capability.

63 kg Class

Tsarukava Svetlana (RUS) with world record 117 kg snatch. (Charniga photo)

This was another interesting class with two very strong Rusians Svetlana Tsarukava and Marina Shainova, up against what should have been an invincible Chinese lifter OUYANG Xiaofang, and the world champion of the past two years Maiya Maneza. Maiya, like the other Kazak girl Chinshalno Zulfiya is a Kirgystan national lifting for Kazakhstan. So, you could say there were two Asians up against two Russians. Tsarukeva previous best results of were achieved at the Russian Nationals in 2007 with 114 + 137 = 251 and 115 + 135 = 250 kg at 2007 World Championships. Shainova made her best results at this year’s European Championships as a 63 kg with 104 + 141 = 245. Maneza best results are 105 + 143 = 248.

Best ressults of top Four 63 kg coming into 2011 WWC.

athlete	Country	snatch	Jerk	Total	date
Tsarukeva,S	RUS	114	137	251	2007
Shainova,M	RUS	104	141	245	2011
Maneza, M	KAZ	105	143	248	2010
OUYANG, X	CHN	122	143	265	2009

Of the four favorites Shainova opend with 106, high pulled it too long and dropped it in front. Maneza took the same weight and like she has done for the past two championships failed to lift her opening weight. Shainova rpeated with 106 and mangaed to fix this weight, but, her technique looks like she is trying to power santch the weight and then drop under it which makes her squat slow with a forward leaning trunk. Maneza tighened her knee wraps (one fell off in the middle of her first lift) got serious with her second at 106 and fixed this weight. Cocos (ROM) made three snatches to finish with 107. She is not the most flexible lifter, but she is extremley fast dropping under the barbell.

Shainova tried to high pull her 3rd with 109, got it arms length for a moment but dropped it behind. Maneza took this same weight and made a relativley easy lift. 110 kg brought out OUYANG for her 1st which she handled very easy. She went to 113 on her 2nd and lifted it the same way but on obvious bent arms in the squat and was given a no lift. OUYANG repeated with this 113 kg and lifted it easier than her opening 110.

Tsarukava began with a success at 110 kg; then moved to 114 kg, 2 more than she made at the European Championships in Kazan. She made a fast lift but the weight started to drift backwards in the deep squat. Shifting her balance forward she managed to save the lift. Her 3rd with 117 kg was 1 kg over the world record. She employs what could be described as a neuro – muscular facilitation to begin the exercise. She begins to lift the barbell in the starting position. The bar bends but the discs do not leave the platform. She then stops the lifting motion, shifts her hips up and returns to the starting position to begin the lift. This actions creates some preliminary tension (strain energy) in the muscles, tendons and ligaments of the lower extremities which is then utilized to lift the weight when the lifter returns to the starting potion immediately, before the tension has diminished.

Tsarukeva sank into  a very low squat with the 117. She stood, struggled a bit to get the weight under control, but now it was a new senior world record.

Tsarukeva opened with a very easy 130 kg in the clean and jerk for the early lead with 247 kg. Cocos made a fast jump forward clean and easy jerk with 131. OUYANG opened with 133. She started shaking before she began the jerk and it wasn’t close. She took the same weight on her second; cleaned well but jerked the barbell forward for another miss. OUYANG cleaned the same weight on her third but this time there was no half hearted effort at the jerk. However, her 246 put her out of the hunt for the gold medal. Shainova followed with 135 kg for a very easy clean and a strong jerk.

Tsarukeva started to pile it on with a very fast, jump backwards clean and a technically proficient jerk with 135 kg. Cocos made a big jump forward clean with 136 kg and a very easy jerk to pull close to OUYANG. Tsarukeva jumped back and very low with her third at 138 kg, she bounced a few times and made a difficult recovery, a shaky jerk, but was well out in front with 255kg.

The defending champion of the past two years Maiya Maneza opened with 139 kg. She lifted it to her chest easy enough but then lost her balance backwards and dropped it. Maneza handled the same 139 easily on her 2nd; but, her right elbow does not lock and it looked a little spongy with the barbell overhead. Shainova took 140, 2 kg less than she made in Kazan at the European Championships, for her 2nd. She pulled the weight to her chest in a deep squat, tried to stand but dropped back down, then bounced back up through the sticking point of the clean. Her effort to scissors in the jerk with this weight was backwards as a consequense the weight was forward and did not even make it to arms length.

The 2008 Olympic champion PAK Hyon Suk cleaned the 140 kg but almost dropped the weight on her head trying to jerk it. Cocos deadlifted this weight and Shainova followed with her 3rd at the same 140 kg. She cleaned this much better than her 2nd lift, but the jerk was uncoordinated and down it came.

Maiya Maneza (KAZ) trying to clean a lobsided 146 kg. (Charniga photo)

Maiya Maneza had one attempt left to hold onto her world title. She aksed for 147 kg, 4 kg over her own world record. She lifted the weight to her chest easily; pulling with the right side of the barbell higher than the left. The 147 turned out to be 146 kg because a 1 kg disc was not loaded on the right side of the barbell on the outside of the collars. Unlike the unfortunate incident in Goyang where it took the officials 15 minutes to realize they made a mistake, the officials made the correction immediatley after Maneza dropped the weight. The barbell was now loaded to the correct 147 kg. This time she lifted the “level” barbell to her chest, sat for a second in the deep squat then recovered well. She jerked the weight ok but her right elbow clearly unlocked as she stepped forward to secure the weight. A very good effort but no gold medal.

You can make a good case the mis – loading of her 147 kg weight helped Maneza. She missed the clean with the mis – loaded 146 kg the same way she missed her opener, by falling backward. Since the officials made the correction quickly and notified the athlete immediately, the extra attempt with the correct 147 kg allowed her to get the feel of the weight first and wake up her nervous system after having waited so many attempts to try the winning lift.

69  kg class

HUANG Shin Hsu (TPE) age 36, snatches 111 kg (Charniga photo)

The favorites in this class were Oxana Slivenko (RUS) the two time world gold medalist and Olympic silver medalist, the Chinese teenager XIANG Yanmei and Meline Daluzyan (ARM). Slivenko’s best results were made at the 2007 world championships in Thailand: 120 + 156 = 276; she has never approached these results since. XIANG Yanmei made 115 + 146 = 261 at the 2009 Chinese National Games as a 17 year old 75 kg. Daluzyan’s results at last year’s world championships were 112 = 139 = 251.

XIANG Yanmei was the first of the laders to appear with 110 kg. She handled this weight with no problem; sitting in the Chinese fashion, in a very low squat with head down and eyes fixed on the floor. By way of contrast the Russian Necrassova made three power snatches to finish with 109 kg. The other Russian entry in this class Tatiana Matveyeva power snatched 110 for her second.

HUANG Shin Hsu (TPE) needed a step forward to fix her opener with 111 kg. But, that is ok when you are 36 years old and lifting with the best in the world and competiting with someone like XIANG Yanmei, and, are old enough to be her mother. Matveyeva had 113 kg up but way in front, so she was credited with her power snatched 110 kg. XIANG Yanmei‘s second with 114 kg was a mirro image of her 110, with a very low and stable squat. She was lifting well within herself.

Slivenko opened with a jump forward 115 kg to move into first place. Daluzyan pulled her opener with 116 forward, jumped forward to fix it but dropped in front. She made a much better lift on her second with the same wieght but once again lost it in front. XIANG Yanmei made what appeared to be a very conservative jump to 116 kg and lifted it like she was good for at least 121 kg. All three of her attempts looked exactly the same with a very low squat and brief pause to make sure of balance. She was followed by someone who could have been her mother HUANG Shin Hsu, who lifted her 3rd with 116 kg in a single motion, in virtually perfect form.

Daluzyan tried to save her 3rd lift with 116 kg by running forward, but to no avail as she dropped this one and was out.  Slivenko tried to lift 118 kg on her 2nd by hauling the barbell up and then sitting under it, but it was not even close. She repeated with the 118 kg on her 3rd and this time she focused her effort where it would do the most good, by jumping very actively under the weight. She was successful. She moved into the lead by 2 kg and lighter bodyweight.

HUANG Shin Hsu opened with 130 kg in the clean and jerk and made a technically proficient, easy lift. Her 2nd with 135 kg was very much like her first, and easy clean, a cautious recovery from the split, the presence of mind of a vertean lifter. Matveyeva opened with 138 kg cleaning the barbell with the right side tilted down but jerking it level. Cleaning the barbell on her figertips XIANG Yanmei made short work of her 1st with 140 kg. She jerked this weight with a slight bend in her rearward placed leg. Slivenko took 140 for opener and made a hard lift to her chest but easy recovery; then muscled the jerk. HUANG Shin Hsu struggled to clean her 3rd with 140 kg, the bar slipped down on her chest during the effort. She jerked it to arms length, but left the barbell way in front for no lift. HUANG Shin Hsu made four very nice, aesthetic lifts. Not bad for a 36 year old competing against a teenager who could have been her daughter.

Matveyeva cleaned 143 kg with an even bigger tilt on the right side of the barbell than her first. Stood there for a few seconds with the barbell tilted at the same angle, then somehow managed to level it out in the jerk. Slivenko made her 2nd with 145 kg like her first, dragging the weight up to her chest followed by a very easy recovery and a rough, but successful jerk. Pulling with a big tilt to the right Matveyeva shouldered her 3rd with 145 kg briefly, then dropped it, before clutching her back just above her right hip. Wonder why?

The Chinese teenager XIANG cleaned 148 kg on her 2nd with a step forward during the recovery; pausd for the jerk and drove the barbell to arms length; but, this time with a larger bend in her rear leg. She was now in first followed by Slivenko. With the pressure on, Slivenko took the same 148 kg. She pulled the barbell like she were standing in a sand box, but, recovered very strong and made the jerk to regain the lead over XIANG.

Now the gold medal was riding on the fianl clean and jerk. XIANG pulled in the 151 kg needed to overtake the Russian. She had to sit there a second to get her balance before standing. She paused long enough to regather, then jerked the barbell to arms length, but this time her rear leg, “the weak link” in the kinematic chain of her technique peculiarity, flexed too much and her rear knee hit the floor for no lift.

XIANG Yanmei (CHN) misses gold medal lift with 151 kg. The obvious weak link when jerking with the rear leg bent. (Charniga photo)

75 kg Women

Abdelrahman Khalil Mohammed Abeer (EGY)

On paper this looked to be the best of the women’s classes because the Russians had originally entered Yevstukhina and Zabolotnaya, to go up against Russian turned Kazak, Podobedova. However, Zabolotnaya was not on the start list so it came down to Yevstukhina and Podobedova and the PRK lifter Kim Un Ju.

Of the three medalists Kim Un Ju (PRK) opend with 105 kg and almost power snatched this weight. On her 2nd with 111 kg she sank lower into the squat for an easy lift. By contrast the Kazak teenager Nurmukhambetova power snatched 107 and 112. She pulled an accessible 115 kg forward around her knees, failing to sink into a low squat, she dropped the weight in front. Kim Un Ju dropped low with her 3rd attempt with 114, stopped in this position struggling with the weight, then sank lower and after struggling some more, rose for her thrid good lift.

Lydia Valentin (ESP) who had all sorts of problems last year in Antalya, power snatched her 2nd with 112 kg; then had to run forward with 120 on her 3rd because she did not sink low into the squat, but, nonetheless had three good lifts. Nadezda Yevstukhina (RUS) opend with 125 kg and made a very easy, jump forward lift. Svetlana Podobedova (KAZ) began her tactical battle with her former Russian teamate with an almost power snacth opener of 126 kg. Yevstukhina responded with a good 130 kg for a bit of a struggle in the low squat position. The heavier Podobedova answered with a deeper squat snatch of 131 kg to move back into first place.

Starting with what appeared to be her hips in a higher position Yevstukhina used a lot of back with her 3rd at 133 kg which was not close. Podobedova chose to put the gold medal out of reach and get a world record at the same time by selecting 135 kg for her 3rd. She does not adjust well to the heavier weights by sinking low to fix the barbell and even though the lift looked like it was very accessible down it came in front. So, Podobedova was in first by 1 kg, but looking at a fight from the world record holder Yevstukhina, in the clean and jerk .

Kim Un Ju (PRK) with her 114 kg in the snatch was six kilos behind Valentin and seven behind Irna Kulesha (BLR) after the snatch. Kulesha did a big jump forward missed clean with her 3rd attempt 145 kg. Kim Un Ju came out for a very easy 146 kg opener to move ahead of Valentin. She jumped to 151 kg on her 3rd. Pulling and jerking with a normal for the jerk, hand spacing, she scissored under the weight explosivley and temporarily went into the lead.

Yevstukhina (RUS), the 2011 European champion and current world record holder in the clean and jerk opened with 155 kg. She lifted this weight with a jump forward clean followed by a precision jerk right out of the Russian weightlifting textbook. Podobedova followed with 156 kg. She made a feet in line (neither jumping forward or back) easy clean. But, she raised the weight off her chest to adjust the position of the barbell and began to lose her balance forward when the bar starting whipping up and down. Not taking the time to fully reagin her balance; instead, she jerked the weight from an obvious slightly forward balance in the starting position. She lifted the weight to arms length but had to run forward until she ran out of platform and dropped what should have been for her, a routine weight.

Podobedova repeated with 156 kg and this time made a better lift with just a few steps forward to secure the jerk, but the advantage was lost. Kim Un Ju selected 156 kg to move ahead of Podobedova in the jerk. She pulled the weight to her chest, sat low and paused a second before struggling to stand. Unlike Podobedova, KIM took plenty of time to regather after the fatiguing clean, but the jerk was just not there.

Now it was up to Yevstukhina (RUS) to take advantage of the door left open by Podobedova. Her 2nd with 158 kg was a mirror image of her first: and easy clean and a perfect jerk. She moved into first with a 1 kg lead. The pressure was on Podobedova to keep her world title. She went to 163 kg, one kilo over the world record for her 3rd attempt. Her focus had been lost by the missed 156 kg and she just pulled the weight and dropped it.

Yevstukhina (RUS) Jerks world record 163 kg. Charniga photo

 With the gold medal in hand Yevstukhina asked for the same 163 kg to better her own world record of 162 kg. Sporting a long ponytail which was draped over her right shoulder in the starting position of the clean (it was over her left shoulder on her previous attempt) Yevstukhina pulled the weight in with a slight jump forward. The ponytail conveninetly slipped behind her head as she secured the weight on her chest. She struggled through the sticking point of the squat recovery but made the same perfect jerk for her second world record of the year.

+ 75 kg

ZHOU Lulu (CHN) equals world record in snatch with 146 kg. Charniga photo.

JANG Mi – ran was not on the start list so the favorite in this class was last year’s champion and the 2011 European Champion Tatiana Kashirina (RUS). Based on the results of the six entries from China in the lighter weight classes, it was unclear what their strategy would be with the +75 kg ZHOU LuLu (CHN). Back in April, Kashirina snatched a world record 146 kg at the Europeans in Kazan and made a total of 327 kg, 12 more than her world championships result in Anatalya.

ZHOU placed 2nd at the 2009 Chinese National Games with an unofficial world record snatch of 148 kg and jerk of 175 kg for a 323 total. She made 145 + 182 = 327 one month before Paris at the Chinese tryouts for the World Championship team. ZHOU defeated China’s entry in this class last year, MENG Suping who made “only” 135 + 182 = 317 at the tryouts.

Of the three medalists Olha Korobka (UKR) made only her 1st snatch with 127 kg. Her two attempts at 131 kg were up easily but she did not settle under the weight and dropped them forward each time. Khurshudyan Hripsime (ARM) was another potential medalist in this class. She was the bronze medalist at 75 kg in Goyang and placed 4th last year in the +75 kg class. She made her opener with 125 kg; but, she was forced to retire after she unfortunately injured her left elbow on her 2nd attempt with 130 kg.

ZHOU followed Korobka to the platform with her 1st weight, a very conservative 135 kg. This was a play weight for her as she all but power snatched it. Kashirina was next with a fast jump forward lift and a pause at the bottom of the squat before standing with 140 kg. ZHOU “woman handled” her next attempt with 143 like it was a final warm up weight. Kashirina jumper back with her 2nd attempt of 145 kg and had to stagger forward one and half steps to get the weight under control but it was still a strong success.

ZHOU selected Kashirina’s world record 146 kg on her 3rd attempt and made this weight look like another warm up lift. Relaxed and focused, ZHOU was obviously lifting weights well within her capabilities. Kashirina by contrast appeared nervous and tense; the psychological strain of being toyed with by the Chinese was showing. However, she selected a new world record 147 kg. She jumped back, stopped at the bottom for several seconds to get her balance then stood with the weight under control for new record.

Lifting less than bodyweight in the clean and jerk Korobka (UKR) secured the bronze medal with successive lifts at 150 and 157 kg, then retired.

ZHOU began the final battle for the gold with a very modest 173 kg. She made this weight look like it was 80%; a rediculously easy lift for a 1st attempt in competition. Kashirina made a special effort to calm down and focus before each attempt, even though she was in the lead by 1 kg and lighter. She cleaned her opener with 175 kg OK; but, rushed to jerk the barbell without getting her balance and drove the weight so far forward it was not close. Clearly rattled by her missed 1st attempt miss, Kashirina stood over the 175 kg several seconds for her 2nd telling herself to calm down. She made a very strong clean, rushed to jerk the barbell again; but, this time she was balanced and the weight was lifted up and back for a good lift.

ZHOU looked a little nervous coming out for her 2nd at 181 kg but she lifted this weight like it was 90%. Kashirina stood lomger over the bar for her last attempt at 181 kg, taking breaths and talking to herself. However, to no avail. She pulled the weight to her chest easily. However, she must have been overcome by nerves as she failed to stand with this weight, only six kilos more than her previous attempt which she lifted very easily.

With the gold medal already won ZHOU took a very modest one kilo jump to 182. She recovered from the squat with a little difficulty but jerked the weight to arms length explosively, almost as if it were a toy. ZHOU may or may not be the one, but some day, soon, a female lifter will clean and jerk 200 kg. And, even before that day comes the technical rules need to be changed to accommodate such a feat. That is to say, the 25 mm, 15 kg lady bar has already been outgrown by the +75 kg lady lifters. It flexes too much with the weights these athletes are lifting; which could pose a danger to the lifter.