Colombia, Nigeria dominate women’s weightlifting competition in Riyadh

RIYADH: Colombia’s and Nigeria’s women have come out on top at the ongoing World Weightlifting Championships in Riyadh, securing a total of seven medals on Sunday.

In the women’s 64 kg category, Colombia’s Natalia Llamosa and Alexandra Rodriguez won gold and silver respectively, while bronze went to Nigeria’s Ruth Imoleayo Ayodele.

In the men’s competition, Georgia’s Lasha Talakhadze has been the star attraction with media capturing his strength and enthusiasm during training sessions.

Most of the other athletes paused their training for a few minutes to watch the Georgian giant in action.

Talakhadze is considered one of the strongest weightlifters in the world and has broken 26 global records. He aims to win his seventh world gold medal in Riyadh. He won gold at the Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo Olympics in 2016 and 2020.

On Monday, the action gets underway with the women’s 71 kg category, which will be followed by Saudi Arabia’s Mahmoud Al-Hamid in action in the men’s 81 kg division.