ISLAMIC SOLIDARITY GAMES – BAHRAIN’S superstar lifter Gor Minasyan has his sights set on Asian Games glory next year – as well as to other major events in the future – following his triple gold medal triumph in his men’s weightlifting competition at the sixth Islamic Solidarity Games.
Speaking from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia after sweeping all three gold for snatch, clean and jerk, and total in the men’s over-110kg weight class, Minasyan told the GDN: “I feel extremely proud and honoured to have won all three gold medals and to raise the flag of my country while hearing our beautiful national anthem played three times. It’s a moment of great pride for me and for Bahrain.
“While I am very pleased with this achievement at the Islamic Solidarity Games, my focus remains on preparing for even bigger stages such as the Asian Games and, of course, the Olympic Games. My ultimate goal is to continue making my leaders and my country proud.”
Minasyan needed to dig deep and put in a sensational performance to secure his treble, beating out some tough competition by the narrowest of margins. The Paris 2024 Olympics bronze-medallist won the snatch and clean and jerk sections by just a single kg each, and then took the gold for total by only two kg. He beat Iraqi Ali Rubaiawi all three times.
“It was a very tough competition, and I was especially surprised by the strong performance of the Iraqi athlete,” said Minasyan. “However, I stayed focused, and trusted my preparation.
“This victory would not have been possible without the unwavering support of His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, [Bahrain Weightlifting Federation (BWF) president] Eshaq Ebrahim Eshaq, and my manager and coach, [BWF board member] Tariq Al Bastaki.”
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