Thailand’s Weeraphon Wichuma stunned the weightlifting world by claiming gold in the men’s 71kg category at the IWF World Championships in Forde, Norway, on a day that saw an extraordinary 16 world records shattered.
The men’s 71kg final delivered one of the most thrilling sessions in recent memory, with the top four lifters all breaking world records. Wichuma’s final lift of 194kg secured a total of 346kg, edging out Japan’s Masanori Miyamoto by a single kilogram and sealing Thailand’s sensational victory.
The session’s intensity peaked as four lifters vied for the podium in the final lifts. Miyamoto briefly took the lead with 193kg, only to be overtaken by Wichuma’s 194kg. Turkey’s Yusuf Fehmi Genc gambled on 192kg, which gave him a fleeting second place before he was pushed down to fourth.