Georgian weightlifter claims silver at top tournament

A Georgian weightlifter won silver at a top international tournament in the United States (US) on Saturday that involved competitors from more than 100 countries.

Georgia’s Lasha Talakhadze scored a combined score of 454 points to finish second in the heaviest category of the World Weightlifting Championship, held in Houston, Texas. The silver medal helped boost Georgia’s standing for the 2016 Olympic Games.

The 22-year old athlete was one of 748 tournament participants and competed alongside six other Georgians at the event.

Talakhadze, competing in the 105+kg category, was second in the Snatch category with 207 points and third in the Clean and Jerk with 247 points. His combined score saw him place second behind Russia’s Aleksei Lovchev, who took the gold medal after scoring 211 and 264 points respectively.

Talakhadze scored a combined result of 454 points to collect the silver medal. Photo from International Weightlifting Federation.

Estonia’s Mart Seim collected the bronze medal to complete the 105+kg category podium.

The heaviest category also featured Georgian weightlifter Irakli Turmanidze, who finished 12^th in the group.

The Houston event marked the first time the US hosted an international Olympic weightlifting tournament in over 40 years.

The results achieved by athletes at the event contributed to license points for their countries for qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

See full results of the World Weightlifting Championship in Houston on the official International Weightlifting Federation website here.