Less than four months after the World Weightlifting Youth Championships 2024 in Lima (Peru), the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) will organize the World Junior Championships in Leon, Spain from September 19 to 27. (More Sports News)
The event will feature a number of big names, including United States' Hampton Morris, who bagged bronze medal at the Paris Olympics six weeks ago. As the American will turn 21 in February, this will be his last junior appearance, and he will be a strong gold medal contender in the 61kg category.
The youngster is eyeing a third world title. Three years ago he won the youth world title, setting two world records in that age group in the process. Morris claimed the junior world title at 61kg in 2022, since when he has set senior and junior clean and jerk world records, and has become the first American male to win an Olympic weightlifting medal since the 1980s.
"There’s no ceiling for Hampton Morris. The kid is amazing,” the official IWF website quoted Mike Gattone, USA’s head coach, as having said after Morris' Paris result.
Morris' teammate Gabriel Chhum, who is the junior world champion in the 61kg category, could help make it a 1-2 for Team USA.
Besides USA, only Colombia and hosts Spain have a maximum team of 20 athletes. Both nations have youth or junior world champions in their teams.
As for India, they will reportedly be sending an eight-member squad for the Championships. Dhanush Loganathan (55kg), Shankar Lapung and Arjunan Ruthreshwar (both in 61kg) will compete in the men's section, while Payal (45kg), Panchami Sonowal (49kg), Lamabam Nilam Devi and Koyel Bar (both 55kg), Sanjana (76kg) and Maibam Martina Devi will participate in various women's categories.
India had put up a strong show at the World Youth Championships in May. Preetismita Bhoi and Bedabrat Bharali were declared as the best lifters there, making it the first time that Indian athletes won the award in this tournament.
With a 136kg lift in snatch, Bharali broke his own national record of 133kg and became the first Indian male lifter to win a gold medal in the tournament. Preetismita won gold in the women’s 40kg clean & jerk and set a new World Record to boot.
Live Streaming Details
The IWF World Junior Championships 2024 will be live streamed on the International Weightlifting Federation's YouTube channel. They will not be telecast on any TV channel in India.
