South Korean, Greek wins close powerlifting World Cup

With three good lifts the lottery shop owner, who also secured bronze at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, built towards a winning lift that was more than twice his bodyweight.

Victories for South Korean and Greek powerlifters brought the IPC Powerlifting World Cup to a close in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday (27 February), as athletes enter the final stretch ahead of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

Greece’s world champion Pavlos Mamalos matched his 235kg gold medal-winning performance from the 2015 European Open Championships in the men’s up to 107kg.

With three good lifts the lottery shop owner, who also secured bronze at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, built towards a winning lift that was more than twice his bodyweight.

Mamalos currently sits second in the qualification rankings for Rio 2016, with the top eight male lifters from each weight category eligible to compete in Brazil for their countries.

Malaysia’s Mohd Shamil Md Saad delighted the home crowds, taking second with 196kg in the third round.

Uzbekistan’s Nuriddin Davlatov needed one good second attempt at 194kg to seal third.

South Korea’s Asian Open bronze medallist Keun Bae Chun was the victor in the men’s over 107kg.

After clearing 225kg in the first round, Chun successfully pushed 230kg in the second. He attempted 235kg for his last lift but it was not to be. Chun is currently fourth in the qualification rankings, placing him in pole position for selection.

Konstantinos Dimou (220kg) secured another medal for Greece with a good first round lift.

The United Arab Emirates’ Ahmed Khamis Albaloushi was third with 207kg.

Full results from each day are available at IPC Powerlifting's website.

The IPC Powerlifting World Cup was the last chance for athletes to improve their place in the rankings for Rio 2016.

More information about qualification for the upcoming Paralympic Games can be found at IPC Powerlifting's website.