Armenian Weightlifters Aleksandra Grigoryan and Gor Sahakyan Win Gold Medals at World Junior Championships

GUADALAJARA — Aleksandra Grigoryan from Armenia won Gold medal in women’s 55kg catagory at World Junior Championships being held in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Grigoryan held her nerve to win the women’s 55kg with her final lift of 107kg, edging ahead of two Japanese rivals who lacked experience but not talent. Grigoryan had made only two good lifts in finishing seventh at the senior World Championships in Saudi Arabia in September and had to dig deep for victory. She started with two good lifts but was fifth at halfway after missing her third.

After failing with her first clean and jerk Grigoryan, 18, was in trouble. But she made the next one at 102kg and successfully went up 5kg to take gold, finishing 81-107-188.

Nanasa Kawasaki, whose only previous international appearance was three years ago in the Asian Juniors, was 1kg behind on 84-103-187 and her team-mate Mao Tsutsumi was third on her debut on 83-103-186.

Gor Sahakyan Wins Gold in Men’s 67kg
Armenia displaced the United States at the top of the medals table when Gor Sahakyan claimed his nation’s second World Junior Championships victory at the Guadalajara Weightlifting Forum.

Sahakyan won the men’s 67kg ahead of the pumped-up American Hampton Morris, who roared his way to a career-best total and boosted his confidence in his quest to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Sahakyan has excelled in senior competitions this year and he looked on course for a wide-margin win after making 140kg in the snatch, which was 15kg more than Morris down in seventh place at halfway.

Sahakyan totaled 300kg for the seventh time despite missing his last two clean and jerks. He won the European 67kg title in his home country in April and finished third in the senior World Championships in September.

Sahakyan made 140-165-305, Morris 125-178-303 and third-placed Yahor Papou, an Individual Neutral Athlete, 136-158-294. Yahor Hrynko, another Individual Neutral Athlete who, like Papou, is from Belarus, took clean and jerk bronze on 163kg.