León, Day 8: Brazil’s first world record lasts less than two minutes in sensational finish

Two world records, another “holiday” victory for the champion from Turkmenistan, seven lifts of 200kg or more and an unforgettable arrival on the world stage for a Brazilian teenager. Those were some of the features of the most entertaining session so far at the World Junior Championships in León, Spain.

There were two competitions within the 102kg contest, one for 10 athletes and another for the three who finished on the podium – Shahzadbek Matyakubov from Turkmenistan, Matheus Pessanha from Brazil and Mahmoud Hosny from Egypt.

Shahzadbek Matyakubov (TKM)

Matyakubov and Hosny have both won major senior medals but Pessanha, 19 last month, had never competed outside South America. On his global debut he became the first Brazilian ever to claim a world record, improved his best total by 25kg and scored more Robi points – the system by which the IWF rates the best individual performers – than every gold medallist in León except the man who beat him, Matyakubov.

Pessanha’s final lift of 215kg gave him the lead on 168-215-383, and the junior world record in clean and jerk. Out came Matyakubov little more than a minute later. He made 216kg to bump Pessanha down to second place and out of the record books.

Garik Karapetyan from Armenia still holds the snatch and total junior world records of 183kg and 393kg. “I wanted the total record today but we didn’t risk it,” said Matyakubov, who finished 175-216-391, up 5kg on his previous best total. “We were surprised by the Brazilian.

Matheus Pessanha (BRA)

“This was my last junior competition so I trained especially hard for it, and world records were always part of the plan.”

He still has a chance to break junior records until the end of the year, and is due to lift at the senior World Championships in Bahrain in December. “I’ll be going for all three,” he said.

“Tomorrow is National Day in Turkmenistan (marking 33 years of independence) and this victory is my gift to the country.”

Last December Matyakubov won a senior gold at the IWF Grand Prix in Qatar at 96kg. It was also a national holiday then, Turkmenistan’s Day of Neutrality. That, too, had been “a gift for my country”. This year’s Day of Neutrality falls the day before his competition in Bahrain.

Matyakubov missed once, his final snatch attempt at 180kg, while Pessanha made all six lifts. Pessanha was down at 89kg at last year’s Pan American Youth Championships, then dropped the barbell on his heel during training and was out of action for several months in the second half of 2023.

Pessanha had started out in CrossFit because he thought he was too fat, he said, “and I just loved the feeling of power when I lifted weights”. He was worried about putting on weight again after the injury but Brazil’s national coach Dragos Doru Storica told him he needed to get bigger.

“When I saw him for the first time at a local competition five years ago I spoke to his father and brought him to Rio for some training,” said Storica. “It can be difficult because he is from Cabo Frio, about 200 kilometres away. I want to get him to Rio permanently.

“What a performance today. The first world record ever for Brazil, and the first world junior medal on total for a Brazilian male.”

Hosny, back in action after an elbow joint injury, was up with the top two until he failed at 211kg and 212kg and finished 169-200-369. Hosny, who holds the clean and jerk youth world record at 89kg, won a bronze in clean and jerk at the senior World Championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia a year ago.

There was a 17kg gap to fourth place, filled by Yemialyan Maskaleu, the Individual Neutral Athlete from Belarus who was making his first international appearance.

Uladzislau Sakovich (AIN)

Another neutral from Belarus, Uladzislau Sakovich, won the evening 109kg session. Nobody came close to the numbers made by the top two at 102kg and Sakovich was the only one to better Hosny’s bronze-medal total in the earlier contest.  

Sakovich, fourth at this weight last year, made five from six for 170-204-374 to finish well clear. Emin Burun from Turkey, who was fourth at 102kg a year ago, missed his final two attempts in second place on 168-198-366.

Gurami Vekua from Georgia, a bronze medallist last year at 102kg, took bronze again on 162-200-362. Two others made the podium – Hassan Emadi from Iran and Asem Alsallaj from Jordan, who won bronze in snatch and clean and jerk respectively.

Rahma Ahmed (EGY)

Egypt had its first champion in León when Rahma Ahmed won at 87kg. When she ran off the platform at the finish and jumped into the arms of coach Ala Hasan she knocked him to the ground, but he was soon up and smiling.

Ahmed made a six-from-six 110-130-240 for a sweep of golds. She won gold and silver at World Youths and now has gold and bronze at World Juniors, with two more years to come in the junior ranks.

Busra Can (TUR)

Another former youth champion, Busra Can from Turkey, was second on 102-129-233. Georgia had a rare women’s medallist when snatch silver medallist Marian Murgvliani held on to third place on 105-125-230, ahead of clean and jerk bronze medallist Valeria Ruiz from Colombia.

By Brian Oliver