Russia's Lovchev breaks weightlifting world records at Houston
Russia's Aleksei Lovchev shattered his personal best to set a world record in the clean and jerk and win the 105 kilo world title at the IWF World Weightlifting Championships. Lovchev, who also set a world record in the weight class with a 475kg total, had a 16kg improvement from his second clean & jerk lift to his last to finish at a record 264kg. The 26-year-old Lovchev had never lifted more than 257kg in training. "I was thinking, 'This is impossible' as I had never tried that weight before," said Lovchev. "I'm overwhelmed. "This shows that Russia is the strongest nation. "I could never have done it without the support of my parents. My father is my coach and he introduced me to weightlifting. My mother passed away in 2012 and I dedicate this victory and the records to her." Both records he broke were held previously by Iran's Hossein Rezazadeh. Rezazadeh's previous mark of 263kg in the clean and jerk was 11 years old and his total mark of 472kg was 15 years old. "When I was little I used to watch Rezazadeh on television, lifting enormous weights. He was an example to me and I never imagined I would one day take his records," Lovchev said. Georgia's Lasha Talakhadze finished second in overall with a 454kg total, while Estonia's Mart Seim took the bronze with a 438kg. Lovchev also won the 105kg weight class snatch title with a score of 211kg. Russia's Tatiana Kashirina claimed the women's 75kg world title for the third straight year with a clean sweep of the three golds. Her 333kg total left her eight kilograms clear of runner-up and former world record holder Meng Suping of China.
