3 min readMay 17, 2026 11:50 PM IST
22-year-old Iranian weightlifter Alireza Yousefi broke the world record in the clean and jerk section of the +110 kg category at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Ahmedabad and dedicated his medal to the school kids killed during a missile attack by the USA in February earlier this year.
Yousefi, who is a World Championships bronze medallist, lifted 261 kg in the clean and jerk section to win the gold medal and overall lifted 445 kg to claim the silver medal in the category.
Competing under the new weight categories after an overhaul by the International Weightlifting Federation last year, Yousefi’s 261 kg is the best mark in the world in the new category and is the first world record.
Yousefi, who had lifted 184 kg in snatch, was placed overall third on the podium for his category, but his 261 kg lift meant that he leapfrogged others to win the overall silver and gold medal in clean and jerk.
Alireza Yousefi broke the world record at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Gandhinagar by lifting 261 kg.
This Iranian champion dedicated his gold 🥇medal to the children martyred in the #Minab school tragedy.
Well done to Iran’s champion.👏 pic.twitter.com/5P4eeTONag— Iran in India (@Iran_in_India) May 17, 2026
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After successfully lifting the 261 kg, Minab removed his singlet with a Persian message on his t-shirt reading “Martyrs of Minab”, dedicating his medal to more than 120 school children who lost their lives when a missile strike destroyed the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, Hormozgan province, Iran. The devastating bombing, which also killed teachers and parents, occurred on the first day of the military conflict between the US and Iran.
The Iranian Embassy in India applauded his gesture on the social media platform X. “Alireza Yousefi broke the world record at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Gandhinagar by lifting 261 kg. This Iranian champion dedicated his gold medal to the children martyred in the Minab school tragedy. Well done to Iran’s champion,” the embassy posted.
India finished 11th in the medal table with 11 medals, while the women’s team ended third in the rankings. India won one silver and 10 bronze to be placed 11th in the medal tally, with China perched at the top with 21 gold, 12 silver and 8 bronze. North Korea finished second with 30 medals (18 gold, 11 silver, 1 bronze) while Chinese Taipei took the third spot with 3 gold, 7 silver and 3 bronze.
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There were 25 world records broken while 27 new Asian records were set, according to a release from the Indian Weightlifting Federation, the organisers of the continental meet. Ri Suk (63kg category) of North Korea was declared the best lifter among women, while China’s He Yueji (65kg category) was adjudged the best among men.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
