Iran's Sohrab Moradi breaks weightlifting's oldest world record
JAKARTA: Sohrab Moradi of Iran broke weightlifting's longest standing world record on his way to gold in the men's 94kg class at the Asian Games on Saturday.
Moradi hoisted 189kg in the competition's opening discipline to better the snatch record set at 188kg in 1999 by Greece's Akakios Kakiasvilis.
Moradi now has a complete set of 94kg world records that will remain on the books forever.
After the Asian Games all the sport's weight classes will change ahead of the Olympic qualifying cycle beginning at November's World Championships.
Moradi already owned the marks for the clean and jerk (233kg) and total weight (417kg) in the men's light heavyweight division.
"I really wanted to break the world record as it was the only one I didn't have and this was my last chance," Moradi told AFP. "I feel very happy to know that my name will always remain on all the 94kg world records."
The Iranian said he would now step up to the new 96kg class.
"My next goal is the World Championships (in November) and after that to put on a good show at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics."
He just failed with an attempt at 234kg which would have bettered his own world records for the clean and jerk and total lifts.
But he did have the consolation of a new Asian Games record total of 410kg -- smashing the long-standing mark of 400kg set by Bakytbek Ahtemov of Kazakhstan in Busan 2002 -- after a clean and jerk of 221kg.
Mop-topped Qatari Fares Elbakh came second on 381kg and proved a fans' favourite as he was surrounded by a huge crowd of giggling teenage girls and posed for pictures with them after the medals ceremony.
"This is great. I love all my fans," he beamed. "I'm having a great time."
It was Qatar's first weightlifting medal of the Games and came after Iran's other great lifter in the competition, 85kg world record-holder Kianoush Rostami, failed three times to clean and jerk 220kg.
Kianoush was stepping up to 94kg from 85kg for these Games and despite lying second after the snatch he went home without a medal, leaving Elbakh grateful.
"I expected I could win a medal but didn't think it would be silver," he said, after the expected Iranian one-two failed to materialise.
Moradi said he felt sorry for his compatriot. "We trained together and Kianoush was with me on the podium at 85kg many times. I hope we can both be together again in the medals at 96kg."
Sumpradit Sarat won Thailand's fifth weightlifting bronze of these Games. They also won a silver in the women's 58kg through Srisurat Sukanya.
Courtesy : newindianexpress.com
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18 of 283 stranded Karnataka residents return from West Asia
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government on Tuesday said 18 of the 283 people from Karnataka stranded in conflict-hit West Asian countries returned home on Tuesday morning.
Details of all those people from the state stranded in the Gulf region have been forwarded to the MEA and Karnataka Bhavan for necessary coordination and assistance, they said.
"As of 10 am on March 3, details of 283 stranded people from Karnataka received at SEOC (State Emergency Operations Centre) and DEOC (District Emergency Operations Centre), and they were forwarded to MEA and Karnataka Bhavan. Out of which, 18 have returned this morning, some are in transit," the office of Munish Moudgil, Relief Commissioner and Principal Secretary to Government, Revenue Department said in a statement.
As per the calls received at the SEOC and various DEOCs, 265 people from Karnataka (excluding returnees) are stranded at the conflict-hit regions of the West Asian countries.
Of these, 198 people from Karnataka are stranded in the UAE, 31 people in Bahrain, 14 in Qatar, 13 in Kuwait, four in Saudi Arabia, four in Iran and one in Turkey.
Meanwhile, as many as 42 flights were cancelled at the Kempegowda International Airport here till 3 pm on Tuesday due to prevailing airspace restrictions, airport authorities said.
A total of 21 arrivals and 21 departures were affected, disrupting services on key international sectors including Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Dubai and Doha, they said.
According to the official statement, flight operations have partially resumed from the UAE and other West Asian countries.
Passengers should check flight status with their airlines before going to the airport and rely only on official sources for updates. Passengers can reach out to the AirSewa portal (https://airsewa.gov.in/#/home) or call the MOCA helpline number 011-24604283/011-24632987 for information on flight status, it said.
The SEOC and DEOCs are regularly updating advisories issued by the MEA and Indian Embassies/Consulates in the affected countries.
The Karnataka Resident Commissioner has also activated the Karnataka Bhavan team in New Delhi for coordination, they said.
The state government has urged people from Karnataka residing in the affected West Asian countries to strictly adhere to the guidelines and advisories issued by the local governments.
They have been advised to contact the respective Indian Embassies/Consulates through helpline numbers and register on the Sarthi Sahayata portal and other official portals of the concerned Embassies/Consulates. Further, for transit visa-related matters, it is requested to contact the nearest FRRO, the statement added.
