Doha, September 08 (QNA) - Competitions in four weight categories were held on the opening day of the 10th FISU World University Weightlifting Championship Doha 2026, which is being hosted at Education City through Sep. 12, with the participation of 116 male and female athletes representing 21 countries, in a global university sporting event that reflects the State of Qatar's growing presence on the international championships hosting landscape.

The opening day's competition was intense across the four weight categories contested at the Education City Student Center, comprising the women's 49kg and 53kg categories and the men's 60kg and 65kg categories.

In the women's 49kg category, Chinese Taipei champion Huang Yi-Chen swept all three gold medals, winning the snatch with a lift of 84kg, the clean and jerk with 100kg, and the overall title with a total of 184kg.

Spanish weightlifter Marta Garcia Rincon claimed all three silver medals, lifting 79kg in the snatch, 90kg in the clean and jerk and recording a total of 169kg. Her compatriot Celia Riuos Villamor won all three bronze medals, lifting 71kg in the snatch, 81kg in the clean and jerk and posting a total of 152kg.

Huang, who won all three gold medals in the 49kg category, expressed great happiness with her achievement, noting that injury had not prevented her from pursuing her ambitions and that she had overcome the challenge with determination and perseverance to reach the top of the podium.

In press remarks following the medal ceremony, Huang said she was extremely happy and proud to have achieved this result at the global event, adding that determination and perseverance had played a major role in helping her achieve the outstanding result.

She also expressed her happiness with the excellent atmosphere surrounding the competition and the provision of every means of comfort for all participating delegations, noting that people in Qatar were extremely friendly and kind and shared the same values cherished in Chinese Taipei.

In the women's 53kg category, Chinese Taipei champion Ting-I Cheng swept all three gold medals, winning the snatch with a lift of 87kg, the clean and jerk with 108kg and the overall title with a total of 195kg.

Romanian weightlifter Adriana Cosmina Pana won two silver medals, lifting 78kg in the snatch and recording a total of 174kg, while Chinese Taipei's Hsieh Chia-Yin claimed silver in the clean and jerk with a lift of 99kg.

Spanish weightlifter Salma Ben Lahsan won two bronze medals, lifting 77kg in the snatch and recording a total of 172kg, while Poland's Oliwia Drzazga took bronze in the clean and jerk with a lift of 98kg.

In the men's 60kg category, Sri Lankan weightlifter Avindu Liyana claimed all three gold medals, lifting 105kg in the snatch, 132kg in the clean and jerk and recording a total of 237kg. Spanish weightlifter Oscar Gomez Martinez won all three silver medals, lifting 101kg in the snatch, 127kg in the clean and jerk and recording a total of 228kg, while Chinese Taipei's Tang Chun-Yen took all three bronze medals, lifting 100kg in the snatch, 127kg in the clean and jerk and posting a total of 227kg.

Finally, in the men's 65kg category, Azerbaijani weightlifter Tehran Mammadova won two gold medals and one silver, taking gold in the clean and jerk with a lift of 159kg and in the overall with a total of 289kg, as well as silver in the snatch with a lift of 130kg. Moldovan weightlifter Ion Badanev claimed one gold and two silver medals, winning the snatch with a lift of 132kg and taking silver in the clean and jerk with 156kg and in the overall with a total of 288kg.

The three bronze medals in this category went to Sri Lankan weightlifter Nipun Thennakoon Mudiyanselage, who lifted 100kg in the snatch, 120kg in the clean and jerk and recorded a total of 220kg.

The championship is scheduled to continue tomorrow, Wednesday, with competition in four new weight categories: the women's 57kg and 61kg categories and the men's 70kg and 75kg categories.

As for Qatar's participation in the World Championship, weightlifter Nader Bakr will begin his campaign in the men's 95kg category on Friday, while Wissal Yakhlaf will compete in the women's over-86kg category on Saturday.

The championship has attracted leading university teams from 21 countries, reflecting the breadth of the competition and its sporting significance. Participating countries include Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Ecuador, Spain, Finland, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Iraq, Korea, Moldova, Poland, Puerto Rico, host nation Qatar, Romania, Sri Lanka, Slovakia, Chinese Taipei and the United States, bringing together in Doha some of the most promising university weightlifting talents at one of the sport's leading global events.

The FISU World University Weightlifting Championship Doha 2026 features competition across 16 weight categories. The eight men's categories are 60kg, 65kg, 70kg, 75kg, 85kg, 95kg, 110kg and over 110kg, while the eight women's categories are 49kg, 53kg, 57kg, 61kg, 69kg, 77kg, 86kg and over 86kg.

The FISU World University Weightlifting Championship is the second world championship organized by the Qatar Collegiate Sports Federation since its official establishment in 2023, following its successful hosting of the FISU University World Cup 3x3 Basketball. This reflects the Federation's growing presence on the international sporting stage and embodies its vision of strengthening the State of Qatar's position on the global university sports landscape. (QNA)