Tehran Times Sports Desk

TONGLING, Central China – Iranian world champion weightlifter Behdad Salimi lived up to his billing as the overwhelming favorite by winning the men's over 105-kilogram to be crowned as the strongest man at the Asian weightlifting championships on Sunday.
The talented 22-year-old athlete was in a class of his own, lifting 208kg in the snatch and 250kg in the clean and jerk for a winning total of 458kg to take all of the three gold medals.
Chinese Sun Haibo was the only one among the other four lifters who could challenge Salimi, and the 28-year-old did that by snatching 200kg, 8kg less than Salimi.
Salimi hoisted 250kg at ease to secure the jerk gold medal, 28kg more than the clean and jerk silver medalist Ali Mhd from Syria.
In the same category Bahador Molaei also from Iran reached the second spot in the total after lifting 176kg in snatch and 222kg in clean and jerk adding up to 398kg.
MRK