originally published on IPF social media on 7th November 2023
The 120kg class will lift on Day 5 - Friday 17th November and, if nominations are anything to go by, it's going to be a pitched battle for podium places:
1 Oleksiy Bychkov UKR - 1115kg
2 Sen Yang TPE - 1112.5kg
3 Chi-Sen Tien TPE - 1110kg
Oleksiy Bychkov has dominated this class for years. He has won the last seven world titles back to back and he won the superheavyweight gold medal at the 2022 World Games. He holds the total world record in this class at 1132.5kg and is the one to beat. He didn't have the best competition last year, going 5 for 9 but he still finished ahead of Sen Yang whose perennial grip issues prevented him coming past on deadlift.
Yang has been rising up the ranks for some time now. He smashed the squat world record at last year's World Games on his way to the silver medal and chipped it at last year's world championships for the same result. He is still improving though and if he can just manage to hang on to his final deadlift, he could be the man to finally unseat Bychkov.
However his team mate, Chi-Sen Tien, is also in the mix. He struggled on bench last year but has previously taken the bronze and silver at this competition. All three seem very evenly matched and we could be in for a tense finish.
The 120+kg class will close out the event on Day 6 and the A group will be broadcast live on Eurosport. Here are the top nominations:
1 Carlos Manuel Campos Murillo CRC - 1150.5kg
2 Andrii Shevchenko UKR - 1135kg
3 Joseph Cappellino USA - 1127.5kg
Carlos Campos Murillo didn't perform at his best at last year's Worlds but he has made some serious gains since then judging by his nominated total. His best results at worlds so far is 6th place but it seems he is intending to blow that out of the water this time around.
Andrii Shevchenko won his first open title in Denmark last year with the 1135kg he is nominated with here. He is a great all-rounder with a big bench-press and anyone looking to wear the gold medal will need to get past him.
Big Joe Capp will definitely be looking to bring that challenge. He's an all or nothing kind of lifter - big risks for big rewards. He's been on the podium many times and took the silver last year. Could this finally be his year?
Special mention to the upcoming youngster Zen McCollum in fourth place - he's come a long way in a short time and is still moving fast. If any of the front runners slips, he could be in with a chance of a medal.
With equipped lifting, anything can happen but one thing is for sure. We will see some incredible lifting out in Lithuania. Don't miss a second. Every session streamed live on The Olympics YouTube channel and our Facebook page.
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