IPF Classic World Championships - 120+kg class preview

 

Originally posted on IPF social media on 10th June 2023

The final session on Super Sunday at the Classic World Champions is the 120+kg class - the super heavyweights.  The biggest lifts close the show and these lifts will be very big indeed.  Let's take a look at the nominations.

Jesus Olivares   USA   1152.5kg

Temur Samkharadze   GEO   1011kg

Cenk Kocak   TUR   1005.5kg

Dmytro Vovk   UKR   960kg

Abdulrahman Mousa   LBA   955kg

Jesus Olivares is the undisputed king of this class.  He comes into this competition as the current world champion, having secured back to back wins in Sun City last year.  At the Sheffield Powerlifting Championships earlier this year, he made history, totalling more than any classic lifter in the world has ever done with a massive 1,152.5kg.  

He also smashed the deadlift world record at Sheffield with a comfortable looking 410kg.  His squat is approaching the world record set by the legend, Ray Williams, back in 2017.  Truly, Jesus Olivares seems limitless right now.

He's not the only world champion in town though.  Temur Samkharadze won the junior title in Turkiye last year and then put up a monster 1011kg total on his way to the junior European title.  He is improving so fast, it's hard to say where he will finish up this year.

If there's anyone that can come close to Olivares on deadlift, it's Cenk Kocak.  He has taken the bronze medal in the last two world championships and he is in third here too.  Will this be his year to move up?  Only time will tell.

The field tightens up considerably after the top three with four lifters nominated within 9kg of each other.  Keep an eye out for bench world record holder Ilyas Boughalem of Algeria who took the silver last year but is nominated in sixth place this year.

Who are you cheering for?  Let us know in the comments.