Qatar’s Fares Ibrahim El-Bakh won two bronze medals, while Egypt’s Ahmed Gaber and Moustafa Ibrahim won two silvers and a bronze, respectively, at the International Weightlifting Federation’s 2016 Junior World Championship, which was held in Georgia from June 23 to July 2. El-Bakh’s victory booked him a ticket to the 2016 Rio Olympics, seizing Qatar’s single weightlifting quota spot.
IWF's competition rules state that for each weight class, medals are given to the top three lifters based on the total weight lifted, which is the sum of the Clean and Jerk lift and the Snatch. Also, podium spots are available for the best three in each of the two lifts.
With a total of 346 kilograms, El-Bakh ranked third place in the final standings of the men’s 85 kg category. The 17-year-old, who was the youngest on the podium, also won bronze for his 196 kg Clean and Jerk lift and ranked eighth in the Snatch by lifting 150 kg.
The oldest on the men’s Over-105 kg podium was Egyptian 20-year-old Ahmed Gaber, who brought home the silver for his 387 kg total. He lifted 221 kg in the Clean and Jerk, for which the won a second silver medal. Moreover, his 166 kg Snatch lift ranked sixth place. Gaber’s total tied with that of Serbia’s Tamas Kajdoci, however, Kajdoci landed in third place since he was heavier.
Gaber was not the only Egyptian in action at the World Championship. Moustafa Ibrahim ranked seventh in the men’s 69 kg division, lifting a total of 293 kg. Nonetheless, his 168 kg Clean and Jerk lift earned a bronze medal. Ibrahim previously ranked eleventh place in the 2014 Youth World Championship and eighth in 2015.
Additionally, Iraq’s Mohammed Ali Al-Zubaidi placed seventh among the 62 kg men, totaling 266 kg. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates’ Mohammad Jassim Budebs ranked 25th in the 77 kg category, lifting a total of 222 kg.