The 2021 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Junior World Championships started on May 21 and will continue until May 31, but history has already been made. Rizki Juiansyah of Indonesia set three new Junior world records in the 73-kilogram weight class at 18 years of age. He went a perfect six for six at the competition in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, culminating with the following record-setting stats:
- Snatch — 155 kilograms (341.7 pounds) — Junior World Record
- Clean & Jerk — 194 kilograms (427.7 pounds) — Junior World Record
- Total — 349 kilograms (769.4 pounds) — Junior World Record
Juniansyah won gold in the competition beating the silver-medalist Achinta Sheulia of India by 36 kilograms and bronze-medalist Gevorg Serobian of Russia by 41 kilograms. Check out Juniansyah’s historic performance via the video below courtesy of штанга и Панда’s YouTube channel:
Time of lifts: Snatch — 39:23, 48:16, 1:01:50 (Junior world record) | Clean & Jerk — 1:40:29, 1:48:00, 1:52:15 (Junior world record)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04eQdGYpGMk
[Related: USA Weightlifting Announces 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games Roster]
Junior World Records
Juniansyah’s performance was flawless. Here is the full breakdown of his showing:
Snatch
- 142 kilograms (313.1 pounds)
- 146 kilograms (321.9 pounds)
- 155 kilograms (341.7 pounds) — Junior World Record
Clean & Jerk
- 180 kilograms (396.8 pounds)
- 189 kilograms (416.7 pounds)
- 194 kilograms (427.7 pounds) — Junior World Record
Related: USA Weightlifting Announces 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games Roster
All three Junior world records were previously held by the USA’s CJ Cummings, who set all three at the 2019 Pan American Junior Championships at the age of 19. Juniansyah bested each lift by a single kilogram and the total by two kilograms. The Indonesian weightlifter is not unfamiliar with holding world records. At the 2020 Asian Youth & Junior Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, he hit a Youth world record snatch and total in the 73-kilogram class — 139 kilograms (306.4 pounds) and 307 kilograms (676.8 pounds), respectively — just shy of his 17th birthday. For reference, no lifter has yet to achieve the Youth world record standard clean & jerk of 171 kilograms (377 pounds).
Shi Zhiyong of China has dominated the 73-kilogram class in the Open Division for some time. For comparison, here are the current world records in the 73-kilogram class Shi currently holds:
- Snatch — 169 kilograms (372 pounds)
- Clean & Jerk — 198 kilograms (436 pounds)
- Total — 363 kilograms (800 pounds)
Shi has also proven in competition that he is capable of lifting even heavier. He scored a 199-kilogram clean & jerk at the 2020 Chinese National Championships. Juniansyah’s Junior world record clean & jerk is just four kilograms shy of Shi’s world record. It will be fascinating to see if Juniansyah can eventually supplant Shi’s records the way he did Cumming’s.
Featured image: штанга и Панда’s YouTube channel
