Atiyeh Sadat Hosseini Makes History as Iran Wins First-Ever Women’s Gold at World Para Powerlifting Championships
Tehran - BORNA - This year’s Rookie & Next Gen World Championships marked the largest edition ever, featuring 120 athletes — including 36 women and 84 men under the age of 20 — competing across 19 events over two days. The competition precedes the Elite World Championships, which will be held from October 11 to 18, marking the first time the prestigious event has been hosted not only in Egypt but anywhere on the African continent.
Iran’s junior delegation delivered a dominant performance in the final day’s heavyweight divisions, matching the power of the Uzbek athletes who had led the opening round.
Seventeen-year-old Hosseini lifted 90 kg in her second attempt to secure the historic gold medal, ahead of Brinley Hutson of the United States (silver) and Niamh Buckley of Ireland (bronze).
“I’m so happy and proud to get the gold here,” Hosseini said after her victory.
Iranian men also impressed on the final day. Mani Saeedi, 19, won gold in the men’s up to 88 kg (Next Gen) division, breaking the world record with a lift of 166 kg before surpassing it with 172 kg on his second attempt.
Meanwhile, Reza Enayatollahi, 18, marked his upcoming birthday in style by winning the men’s up to 97 kg category, setting a new Next Gen world record of 195 kg in his second attempt.
“I worked hard for 11 years for this result. The key to success is hard work and listening to your coach,” Enayatollahi said, expressing his ambition to compete for a Paralympic medal.
After two days of competition, Uzbekistan topped the overall medal standings with 21 medals including 13 golds, followed by Armenia and Iran, each securing four gold medals, while hosts Egypt finished the junior events with three titles.
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