Russia Sweeps IPF Worlds

(updated 10/7)

The lifting has concluded at the IPF Powerlifting World Championships in New Dehli, India.

Russia won the women's competition with a perfect 72 points. Chinese Taipei squeezed into the silver medal position, defeating Ukraine by one point, 50-49. The U.S. finished seventh with 22 points. Finland finished just off the podium in fourth. Norway followed in fifth. The Netherlands was ninth, New Zealand and Denmark tied for eleventh, Australia finished eighteenth, with Iceland nineteenth. Team Canada had no lifters competing.

The men's competition was also won by Russia with another perfect score of 72 points. Ukraine placed second with 57 points. Poland earned the final podium position with 49 points. The U.S. finished in eighth place, Great Britain was eleventh, Finland, Norway, and Canada were thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth, Iceland ended up seventeenth, with the Netherlands twentieth.

With the number one ranked powerlifter in the world, Chinese Taipei's Wei Ling Chen, not competing, fellow countrywoman Yi Ju Chou took the gold medal at 105 to kick off the 2009 Championships. Chou totaled 947 pounds (430kg). American Jonna Ocampo placed sixth. Finland's Sanna Apuli was fourth.

The ninth ranked powerlifter in the world on the Power Rankings, Russia's Natalia Salnikova, dominated the action at 114. Salnikova posted a 1,063 pound (482.5kg) effort. Finland's Mervi Sirkia and Marcela Sandvik placed second and fourth, respectively.

Russia strung two wins together when Inna Filimonova also dominated the 123 pound weight class, totaling 1,113 pounds (505kg). Finns Mervi Rantamaki and Maria Lindberg captured the silver and bronze. American Janel Brown finished fourth.

At 132, Russia won its third gold in a row. Irina Poletaeva posted a 1,229 pound (557.5kg) total. The thirteenth ranked woman in the world, Indonesian Noviana Sari, missed her final deadlift of 507 pounds (230kg) that would have edged out Poletaeva for the win. Poletaeva won the best lifter title with Sari finishing third. Australian Jeanette Gevers was seventh.

Russia won four in a row when the second ranked powerlifter in the world, Galina Potselueva, captured the 148's. Potselueva's 1,331 pound (604kg) total included an IPF World Record bench press of 361 pounds (164kg). That surpassed the 360 pound (163.5kg) mark of Ukrainian Larysa Solovyova. Potselueva finished in the runner-up position for overall best lifter. American Donna Marts placed seventh. Denmark's Kristina Kaas was fifth.

Ukrainian Olena Kozlova captured the 165 class by defeating fellow countrywoman Yelizaveta Biruk by five pounds and Norway's Inger Blikra. Kozlova posted a 1,377 pound (625kg) total.

Russia's Svetlana Dedyulya ran away with the 181 class. She scored a 1,432 pounds (650kg) total. American Rebekah Lair was eighth. Denmark's Annette Pedersen and Norway's Heidi Arnesen were fourth and fifth.

Russian Valeria Shcheglova and the Netherland's Ielja Strik had a fierce battle at 198. In the end, Shcheglova came out on top, totaling 1,444 pounds (655kg) to Strik's 1,432 pounds (650kg). American Malinda Baum finished eighth. New Zealand's Jacqueline Buckley-Gray was fourth.

The Russian women capped a perfect championships when their anchor, Galina Karpova, totaled a new IPF World Record 1,642 pounds (745kg) on her way to winning the superheavys. Karpova held the previous mark of 1,625 pounds (737.5kg). Karpova's total included a World Record squat of 705 pounds (320kg). That obliterated her previous mark of 672 pounds (305kg). She missed a final attempt bench press of 440 pounds (200kg) and deadlift of 529 pounds (240kg). Norway's Hildeborg Hugdal placed second, bench pressing a new IPF World Record of 444 pounds (201.5kg). She also held the old record of 440 pounds (200kg). The Netherlands Brenda v.d.Meulen was fourth and New Zealand's Sonia Manaena was fifth.

The men's competition kicked off with Russian Sergey Fedosienko winning the 123 pound weight class and setting a new World Record total of 1,576 pounds (715kg). Fedosienko, the number one ranked powerlifter in the world, was one of the pre-meet favorites and ran away with the best lifter title.

Class favorite and returning champion at 132, Chinese Taipei's Tsung-Ting Hsieh, did not disappoint. Hsieh delivered a 1,609 pound (730kg) first placed total.

Russian Sergey Gladkikh captured the 148 class, defeating returning world champion, France's Hassan El Belghitti, by 11 pounds. Gladkikh recorded a 1,686 pound total. Canada's Justin Miller was sixth. The 19-year-old Miller's total included a Canadian Record squat of 572 pounds (260kg).

Poland's Jaroslaw Olech registered a new IPF World Record total of 1,956 pounds (887.5kg) on his way to winning the 165 class. That beats his own mark of 1,951 pounds (885kg). Olech, the number four ranked powerlifter in the world, also squatted an IPF World Record 804 pounds (365kg), benched 479 pounds (217.5kg) and deadlifted 672 pounds (305kg). With his 637 Wilks, Olech finished second to Fedoskienko for overall best lifter. Finland's Sami Nieminen took fifth. Tom Kean was sixth for Canada. Mark Sigala finished fourteenth for the U.S.

Russia's Alexey Sorokin totaled 1,973 to win the 181 pound weight class over Ukrainian Andriy Naniev. American Josh Rohr finished ninth. Canadian Brandon Sommers bombed.

The 198's was a clash of Ukrainians. In the end, the ninth ranked powerlifter in the world, Michael Bulannyy, defeated Andrii Krymov, 2,077 pounds (942.5kg) to 2,030 pounds (921kg). Krymov broke the IPF World Record in the bench press with a 630 pound (286kg) effort. Spain's Jose Manuel Perales held the previous record of 629 pounds (285.5kg), which he set in September. Poland's Jan Wegeira earned the bronze medal. American James Brown was eleventh.

Russian Konstantin Lebedko won a tight fought battle for the victory at 220 over Ukraine's Ivan Freydun when he made the final pull in the weight class. Lebedko totaled 2,265 pounds (1,027.5kg) to Freydun's 2,259 pounds (1,025kg). Freydun did grab the final podium position for overall best lifter. American Floyd Givens finished ninth.

A star-studded line-up at 242 that included Russian Maxim Barkhatov, Ukrainians Oleksiy Rokochiy and Valeriy Karpov and Poland's Jacek Wiak was won, going away, by Barkhatov. He totaled 2,314 pounds (1,050kg). American Ken Gack finished eighth. Canadian Luke Pike bombed on the bench press.

The Russians put the finishing touches on a perfect score when Igor Gagin defeated Ukrainian Viktor Testov at 275. Testov had the winning pull in his hands but could not complete it. Gagin totaled 2,342 pounds (1,062.5) to Testov's 2,325 pounds (1,055kg). American Greg Wagner grabbed the only American medal of the 2009 Worlds. He beat fellow American Nick Weite on bodyweight. They each totaled 2,121 pounds (962.5kg). Great Britain's Ben Banks finished eighth.

Great Britain's Dean Bowring and Russia's Oleg Gagin finished in a dead heat in the superheavyweight class. By virtue of weighing 74 pounds less, Bowring earned the victory. Each totaled 2,325 pounds (1,055kg). The Czech Republic's Milan Spingl filled out the podium. Polish Junior Daniel Grabowski earned fourth. Iceland's Audunn Jonsson was fifth. Norway's Olaf Dahl placed sixth. Finland's Kenneth Sandvik was seventh. American Patrick Anderson was eighth.

Complete women's results.
Complete men's results.