According to reports from Iranian news outlets, -85kg Iranian weightlifter Kianoush Rostami has suffered a leg injury days before he’s set to compete at the World Weightlifting Championships in Anaheim on Sunday.
We first saw reports of an injury on the @iran_weightlifting Instagram. It has also been reported on the Iranian news outlets Tabnak, Mardom-News, Roozame, Khabarban, and Tnews.
At the time of writing, no sources have published information in English. Much of the information we’ve seen is through Google Translate.
Indeed, some translations are a little conflicting, with different articles putting the injury in his right leg, left leg, and “right lumbar area,” but the general consensus appears to be that he suffered an injury to a ligament in his left leg and that medical staff are doing their best to make sure he can “fit into” the tournament.
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The @iran_weightlifting Instagram post reads,
Kianoush Rustami, a weightlifter in the 85 kg category, who is at the World Championships in Anaheim, USA, suffered a minor rupture during the national team’s practice (…) At the moment, the national team’s medical staff are trying to make him fit into the tournament.
Rostami himself is yet to address the reports on his social media accounts.
Rostami holds the world record in the clean & jerk (220kg) and total (396kg) and is a clear favorite heading into the -85kg competition. He has won four world titles in his weight class (two in the clean & jerk, and two in the total) and the IWF states in their preview of the men’s -85kg event that he “is poised to win back his world titles in the men’s 85kg he last won in 2014.”
Here’s hoping he makes it to the platform.
Featured image via @kianoush_rostami on Instagram.