Georgian weightlifter Talakhadze becomes world champion, sets new world record

Georgian weightlifter Lasha Talakhadze, 24, has won a gold medal at the World Weightlifting Championships in the United States and set a new world record, improving his own record. 

In the snatch he was able to complete 210, 215 and 220 kg lifts and in the clean and jerk - 243, 250 and 254 kg lifts. 

His total score was 477 which is a new world record. With the achievement Talakhadze broke his own record that was 473 kg. 

Talakhadze represented Georgia at the 2015 World Weightlifting Championships finishing second with a total of 454 kg.

However,  After Russian weightlifter  Aleksey Lovchev failed a doping test, Talakhadze was promoted to first position. 

 At the 2016 Olympics Talakhadze  completed a snatch of 215 kg (breaking the world record of 214 kg set by Iranian weightlifter Behdad Salimi (who then took the record back with 216 kg) and then completed a clean and jerk of 258 kg to set a new world record of 473 kg and win a gold medal.

Talakhadze  set a new world record in the snatch at the 2017 European Weightlifting Championships with 217 kg, exceeding Salimi's previous record set at the 2016 Olympics.

Georgia completed the US World Championship in Anaheim with the historic result of 7 medals in total: five gold, one silver and one bronze.