When we last caught up with Sohrab Moradi, he was doing some fairly ridiculous things, like unofficially (!) breaking the clean & jerk world record in the 94kg weight class. Now, the Iranian lifter is doing even more to show he’s in good form heading into the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Check out Moradi snatching 190kg — 2kg above Akakios Kakiasvilis’ longstanding 94kg snatch record — in training. Dare we say it…he looks good for more?
Moradi has cemented himself as a favorite heading into Rio. And in case you think it’s simply a case of great training lifts, done perhaps over bodyweight and out of competition, consider this: He went 180/220 earlier this summer at the first Fajr Cup in Iran — on just his opening attempts. The Fajr Cup was an officially sanctioned IWF meet where lifters were subject to testing and international refereeing.
In weightlifting, nothing is a sure bet, and calling Moradi a lock for gold in the 94kg category is getting way ahead of ourselves. Belarus’ Vadzim Straltsou is the reigning World Champion with a 405kg total, and Poland’s Adrian Zieliński seems to be almost fully grown into his new weight class. (Zieliński won gold as an 85kg lifter at the 2012 London Olympics, and he’s gradually moved up to 94kg in the years since.)
But for a lifter many in the international community nearly forgot about, Moradi looks poised for a strong competition, and this video is just further evidence he’s peaked for competition and in fantastic shape.
We’re hoping Moradi — and his competitors — pull out all the stops for an exciting 94kg class in Rio. Besides, it’s been awhile since we had a 94kg gold medalist not named Ilya Ilyin, and the weight class is most definitely up for grabs.
Featured Image: Sohrab Moradi’s Instagram (@sohrabmoradi35)
