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Assad emerges surprise winner

By Our Special Correspondent

BUSAN Oct. 9. Reputations took a severe beating at the Pukyong National University gymnasium, as little-known Said Saif Assad Assad of Qatar emerged a surprise winner in the men's 105kg category of the weightlifting events of the 14th Asian Games on Wednesday.

The Doha-based 23-year-old lifter was hardly bothered by either the stature or the fame of his rivals, Cui Wenhua of China and Hossein Tavakoli of Iran, as he went on to lift his first major title in style.

Wenhua was in the fray to retain the title that he had won in Bangkok, four years ago, and the Iranian was also keen to protect his standing as the continental record-holder of the event. But then, both these favourites stood no chance for the gold once the Qatari lifter was on his way in the clean and jerk.

Wenhua was the leader of the nine-member pack at the end of the first phase of the competition, equalling his own Bangkok effort of 195 in the snatch. Behind him, by a mere 2.5kg, followed the Qatariwho through his three attempts had cleared, 180 kg, 187.5 kg and 192.5 kg in that order.

Tavakoli who failed to clear 187.5kg after lifting 180kg in his second attempt (his first attempt with the same weight was deemed a no-lift by the judges) was placed immediately behind Wenhua and Assad, alongside South Korean Choi Jung-Keun and Ukranian Alkesandr Urinov who too had a card of 180kg in the snatch.

The rest of the field was never in contention and the race for the gold began to home in on Assad, Wenhua and Tavakoli. The Chinese, looked as if he would be forced to settle for the bronze, once he completed his three lifts of 200kg, 210kg and 220kg in clean and jerk.

Both Assad and Tavakoli had good lifts and as Assad went ahead and cleared 225kg (a new Games record) in his second attempt, Tavakoli asked the bar to set at 230kg. However, his attempt to move ahead of his young rival did not materialise as he failed in his second trial and then again in the third, wherein he had asked for 232.5kg.

Assad, complaining of a sore shoulder, did not take his third lift but still was able to canter home with a total of 417.5 kg, again a new Games record, even as the failure of Tavakoli to lift anything more than 220kg in the clean and jerk helped the Chinese to take the silver. Wenhua, who had to remain a mute witness as Assad erased his Games record total (410 kg) and Kazakh Anatoly Khrapaty's mark in clean and jerk (220 kg), finished with 415kg, while Tavakoli for his bronze could compile only 400kg.

The results:

Men: 105 kg: 1. Said Saif Assad Assad (Qat), (192.5+225= 417.5); 2. Cui Wenhua (Chn), (195+220=415); 3. Hossein Tavakoli (Ira), 180+220=400).

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