Shevchuk shines with new world record in Tbilisi

Ukraine’s Mariana Shevchuk broke her second world record in two months to highlight the four-day Tbilisi 2021 World Cup which ended on Sunday (23 May) in Georgia.

It was the first time the country hosted a World Para Powerlifting World Cup with a total of 91 athletes representing 25 nations from the Americas, Asia and Europe in action.

The fourth stop of the 2021 season kicked off on Thursday (20) with reigning world champion Shevchuk as one of the main attractions in the women’s up to 55kg category. 

She lifted 133kg in her third attempt improving by one kilogram her previous record set in March at the season’s second World Cup in Manchester, Great Britain.

Turkey’s 2017 World Championships bronze medallist Besra Duman finished with silver (121kg) and Camila Campos of Chile with bronze (112kg).

Day one also saw Great Britain’s Zoe Newson triumph in the women’s up to 41kg category, while Alina Solodukhina from Kazakhstan won gold in the women's up to 45kg.

After the competition, two-time Paralympic bronze medallist Newson joked about her own results on social media: “Came 1st with a lift of 95kg. So happy with how I lifted today. Feels weird winning gold not bronze lol [laughing out loud].”

London 2012 and Rio 2016 Paralympic champion Nazmiye Muratli of Turkey topped the podium in the women's up to 50kg categories. British powerlifter Olivia Broome took silver setting a new world junior record of 106.5kg.

Kazakhstan had another dominant performance in Tbilisi on day two when Raushan Koishibayeva won the gold medal in the women’s 67kg category. 

Uzbekistan’s Ruza Kuzieva, the Rio 2016 silver medallist, lifted 110kg in her last attempt to bag gold in the women’s up to 61kg category.

Brazil’s Mariana D’Andrea, the Lima 2019 Parapan American champion, shone in the women’s up to 73kg category. She broke the America’s record twice lifting 130kg in the second round and 135kg in her last attempt. 

“Today was the most important day in my life since I started in the sport. I have reached the first place in the rankings towards Tokyo [2020 Paralympics],” D’Andrea said on social media. “It was a reward to every training and all the effort through all these years. It gives me a lot of confidence for the Paralympic Games.”

In the other women’s competitions, Ukraine’s Nataliia Oliinyk, Great Britain’s Louise Sugden, and Israel’s Polina Katsman took victories in the  up to 79kg, 86kg, and over 86kg categories, respectively.

Men’s events

Hosts Georgia took seven medals in the World Cup and their only gold came in the men’s up to 80kg category with Ahmad Razm Azar stunning the European champion Grkemislav Moysiadis from Greece.
Moysiadis lifted 193kg in his last attempt, but Razm Azar managed to get the win with a 194kg-lift.

Brazil’s Ailton de Souza took the bronze (182kg). It was Razm Azar’s second gold in the season following his win in Manhcester.

Kazakhstan’s David Degtyarev and Uzbekistan’s Farhod Umirzakov left Georgia with a gold medal and a new personal best.

Degtyarev won the men’s up to 54kg category with a 185kg-lift, while Umirzakov lifted 205kg in his second attempt in the men’s up to 88kg category. Both were followed by Brazilian powerlifters in second place. Bruno Carra behind Degtyarev and Rio 2016 silver medallist Evanio Silva behind Umirzakov.

Chile’s Parapan American champion Juan Carlos Garrido beat former world champion and Rio Paralympics silver medallist Ali Jawad of Great Britain to take gold in the men’s up to 59kg.

Italy’s world junior champion Donato Telesca won the up to 72kg and Colombia’s 2019 World Championships medallist Fabio Torres was the winner in the up to 79kg. Chile’s Jorge Carinao finished first in the up to 65kg.

It was the second gold of the season for Carinao, Garrido, Telesca and Torres.

Uzbekistan takes Team Event gold

The men’s up to 49kg category saw Hungary’s Nandor Tunkel clinch gold, while  Shamo Aslamov from Azerbaijan took home the victory in the over 107kg category.

The World Cup closed on Sunday with Uzbekistan winning the Mixed Team Event ahead of Brazil and Hungary, respectively. 

Kazakhstan topped the medals tally with three gold, two silver and three bronze medals followed by Uzbekistan (three golds and a silver). Great Britain and Ukraine tied in third with two gold and two silver medals each. 

All results from Tbilisi can be found on the World Para Powerlifting website.

The 2021 World Cup returns from 19 to 26 June in Dubai, UAE for the season’s final stop.