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Lasha Talakhadze

Lasha Talakhadze (Georgian: ლაშა ტალახაძე; Georgian pronunciation: [laʃa tʼalaχadze]; born 2 October 1993) is a Georgian weightlifter, holding the all-time world records regardless of weight category in the snatch (225 kg, 496 lb), the clean and jerk (267 kg, 589 lb), and the total (492 kg, 1,085 lb) since 2021.

Lasha Talakhadze
Talakhadze at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Native nameლაშა ტალახაძე
Nationality
Born (1993-10-02) 2 October 1993 (age 31)
Sachkhere, Georgia
Home townTbilisi, Georgia
Height1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)
Weight183 kg (403 lb)
Sport
CountryGeorgia
SportWeightlifting
Event+109 kg
Coached byGiorgi Asanidze[1]
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
  • Snatch: 225 kg (2021, CWR[a])[2]
  • Clean and jerk: 267 kg (2021, CWR)
  • Total: 492 kg (2021, CWR)
Medal record
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro +105 kg
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo +109 kg
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris +102 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2015 Houston +105 kg
Gold medal – first place 2017 Anaheim +105 kg
Gold medal – first place 2018 Ashgabat +109 kg
Gold medal – first place 2019 Pattaya +109 kg
Gold medal – first place 2021 Tashkent +109 kg
Gold medal – first place 2022 Bogota +109 kg
Gold medal – first place 2023 Riyadh +109 kg
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2016 Førde +105 kg
Gold medal – first place 2017 Split +105 kg
Gold medal – first place 2018 Bucharest +105 kg
Gold medal – first place 2019 Batumi +109 kg
Gold medal – first place 2021 Moscow +109 kg
Gold medal – first place 2022 Tirana +109 kg
Gold medal – first place 2023 Yerevan +109 kg

Regarded as one of the greatest weightlifters of all time, Talakhadze is a three-time Olympic champion,[3] seven-time world champion, and seven-time European champion competing in the super-heavyweight category (105 kg + until 2018[4] and 109 kg + starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories).[5] He is a three-time winner of the IWF Male Lifter of the Year.

Career

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Early career and +105 kg division

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Talakhadze represented Georgia at the 2015 World Weightlifting Championships, and originally finished second with a total of 454 kg.[6] In December 2015, Aleksey Lovchev (the original gold medalist and world record holder in the clean & jerk and total) failed a drug test[7] for Ipamorelin.[8][9] The IWF stripped his gold medal and rescinded his world records, and as a result Talakhadze became world champion.[10]

At the 2016 Olympics he completed a snatch of 215 kg to break the world record of 214 kg set by Behdad Salimi (who took the record back with 216 kg, equaling the all-time highest set by Antonio Krastev of Bulgaria in 1987). In the clean & jerk portion of the competition, Behdad Salimi initially completed a 245 kg lift on his second attempt, but it was overruled by the 5 member jury,[11] and was unable to complete his third attempt of 245 kg. Lasha then completed his next lift of 247 kg, giving him the lead after Salimi did not make a lift. He then completed a clean & jerk of 258 kg to set a new world record total of 473 kg and won the gold medal[12][13] by a 22 kg margin over silver medallist Gor Minasyan.

 
Talakhadze lifting 258 kg (clean & jerk) at the 2016 Olympics

In his first competition after winning the gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, he set a new world record in the snatch at the 2017 European Weightlifting Championships with 217 kg, and in the process broke the all-time highest snatch[14] of 216 kg set by Antonio Krastev in 1987, and matched by Behdad Salimi at the 2016 Olympics.

At the 2017 World Weightlifting Championships, Talakhadze broke his own snatch record with 220 kg,[15] giving him a 9 kg lead over former world record holder Behdad Salimi. In the clean & jerk portion of the competition he lifted 257 kg which set a new world record for the total with 477 kg, also breaking the all-time highest total of Leonid Taranenko from 1988.[16] In the competition he won all three gold medals, set 2 world records and had a 23 kg lead over the silver medalist Saeid Alihosseini.

+109 kg division

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In 2018, the IWF restructured the weight classes and nullified the existing world records. The 2018 World Weightlifting Championships were the first international competition with new weight classes and Talakhadze competed in the +109 kg category. In the snatch portion of the competition he opened with 207 kg which placed him in the gold medal position with Gor Minasyan being the only competitor with another attempt. After Minasyan missed his third attempt, Talakhadze had the gold medal in the snatch secured. For his last two lifts, after securing the gold medal, he completed two world record lifts of 212 kg and 217 kg to put him 12 kg ahead of Minasyan after the snatch portion. In the clean & jerk portion of the competition he completed his first lift of 245 kg which set a new world record in the total, and would have won the gold medal in the total if he did not complete any more lifts. After Mart Seim failed to make a 251 kg clean & jerk, Talakhadze completed a world record lift of 252 kg for his second lift. He finished the competition with another world record lift of 257 kg, and finished with a 474 kg total, a full 24 kg over silver medalist Minasyan.[17][18]

In 2019, he competed in the 2019 European Weightlifting Championships which was held in Batumi in his home country of Georgia.[19] Apart from being the heavy favorite to win the +109 kg category, there were expectations that Talakhadze would increase upon his current world records. In the snatch portion of the competition he lifted 208 kg in his first attempt (which would have been good for a gold medal), and then set a new world record with a 218 kg lift. Coming into the clean & jerk portion he led fellow Georgian weightlifter Irakli Turmanidze by 12 kg, and his first lift of 245 kg secured him the gold medal in the total. His second lift of 260 kg set a new world record in the clean & jerk and in the total.[20] His total world record of 478 kg set during the competition was the highest total ever achieved in weightlifting, the previous highest of 477 kg was set by himself in 2017.

Fresh off of his victory at the 2019 European Weightlifting Championships, he again looked like the heavy favorite to win his fourth World Championships. During the snatch portion of the 2019 World Weightlifting Championships he completed a 215 kg lift which secured him a gold medal, his third lift of 220 kg tied his performance at the 2017 World Weightlifting Championships, where he lifted 220 kg in the old 105 kg category, as the heaviest snatch of all time. During the clean & jerk portion he secured gold medals in the total and clean & jerk with his second lift of 255 kg.[21] His third lift of 264 kg in the clean & jerk set a new world record in the clean & jerk and total, his total of 484 kg was the highest total recorded in international competition in history.[22]

In 2021, he won the gold medal in the men's +109 kg event at the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan,[23][2] breaking his own records in the snatch —225 kg—, the clean and jerk —267 kg— and in the total —492 kg.

In June 2022, at the European Weightlifting Championships, recovering from an injury in his left leg, he again took first place, becoming a six-time European champion with a score of 217-245-462.

At the 2022 World Championships in Bogota, Colombia, in the category over 109 kg, he won the champion title in the sum of two exercises with a result of 466 kg and also had both small gold medals (in the snatch with a result of 215 kg and the clean and jerk with 251 kg).[24]

In Yerevan, at the 2023 European Championships, in the over 109 kg category, Lasha won a gold medal by lifting a total of 474 kg. He also won gold medals in both the snatch and the clean and jerk.

In Saudi Arabia, where the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships took place, Lasha again won the world champion title — the seventh in his career with a result of 473 kg in the total. He also won gold medals in the snatch and the clean and jerk.[25]

In February 2024, he withdrew from the European Championships in Sofia after an injury in one of his knees.

In August 2024, Talakhadze won third Olympic gold medal in weightlifting. He defended his third title in men’s +102kg weightlifting at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. He took the win lifting 215kg in the Snatch and 255kg in the Clean & Jerk for a total of 470kg. He defeated his opponent Armenia’s Varazdat Lalayan, who took silver on 467kg.[26]

Awards and other information

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World records

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Throughout his career he has set 26 official senior world records.

Other awards

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In 2016, due to his world record setting performance at the 2016 Summer Olympics Talakhadze was awarded the President's Order of Excellence by Giorgi Margvelashvili.[27] In 2017[28] and in 2018,[29] the Georgian National Olympic Committee awarded him the title of Georgia's Sportsperson of the Year. In 2018 he was named the IWF Male Lifter of the Year for 2017.[30] In 2019 he was named IWF Male Lifter of the Year for 2018.[31]

2013 doping ban

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In 2013, Talakhadze was banned from competition for 2 years after testing positive for the performance enhancing drug stanozolol.[32][33]

Major results

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Year Venue Weight Snatch (kg) Clean & Jerk (kg) Total Rank
1 2 3 Rank 1 2 3 Rank
Olympic Games
2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil +105 kg 205 210 215 — 242 247 258 — 473 OR  
2021 Tokyo, Japan +109 kg 208 215 223 OR — 245 255 265 OR — 488 OR  
2024 Paris, France +102 kg 210 215 220 — 247 255 — — 470  
World Championships
2010 Antalya, Turkey +105 kg 157 162 162 27 180 180 — — — —
2011 Paris, France +105 kg 175 180 187 15 207 207 — 24 387 19
2015 Houston, United States +105 kg 200 200 207   238 247 247   454  
2017 Anaheim, United States +105 kg 210 215 220 WR   243 250 257   477 WR  
2018 Ashgabat, Turkmenistan +109 kg 207 212 217   245 252 257   474  
2019 Pattaya, Thailand +109 kg 208 215 220   247 255 264   484  
2021 Tashkent, Uzbekistan +109 kg 210 218 225 CWR   247 257 267 CWR   492 CWR  
2022 Bogota, Colombia +109 kg 208 215 220   245 245 251   466  
2023 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia +109 kg 208 215 220   245 253 260   473  
European Championships
2016 Førde, Norway +105 kg 200 207 212   235 241 251   463  
2017 Split, Croatia +105 kg 203 210 217   238 245 250   467  
2018 Bucharest, Romania +105 kg 200 210 221   235 247 —   457  
2019 Batumi, Georgia +109 kg 208 218 —   245 260 —   478  
2021 Moscow, Russia +109 kg 211 217 222   245 253 263   485  
2022 Tirana, Albania +109 kg 208 212 217   245 253 —   462  
2023 Yerevan, Armenia +109 kg 210 217 222   246 252 —   474  
World Junior Championships
2013 Lima, Peru +105 kg 185 190 195   217 221 —   411  
European Junior & U23 Championships
2011 Bucharest, Romania +105 kg 175 180 185   205 212 217   402  
2012 Eilat, Israel +105 kg 175 183 190   205 222 232   412  
2013 Tallinn, Estonia +105 kg 182 190 — — 210 225 — — DSQ —
2016 Eilat, Israel +105 kg 193 200 205   222 235 —   440  
European Youth Championships
2010 Valencia, Spain +94 kg 150 155 158   175 182 187   345  
IWF Tournaments
2019 Gaziantep, Turkey
International Naim Süleymanoğlu Tournament		 +109 kg 193 200 208   227 242 —   450  
IWF World Cup
2020 Rome, Italy +109 kg 200 210 215   235 245 255   470  

Table of world records

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[34][35]

Discipline Result (kg) Location Competition Date
+105 kg
Snatch 215   Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Summer Olympics 16 August 2016
Total 473   Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Summer Olympics 16 August 2016
Snatch 217   Split, Croatia European Championships 8 April 2017
Snatch 220   Anaheim, United States World Championships 5 December 2017
Total 477   Anaheim, United States World Championships 5 December 2017
+109 kg
Snatch 212   Ashgabat, Turkmenistan World Championships 10 November 2018
Snatch 217   Ashgabat, Turkmenistan World Championships 10 November 2018
Total 462   Ashgabat, Turkmenistan World Championships 10 November 2018
Clean & jerk 252   Ashgabat, Turkmenistan World Championships 10 November 2018
Total 469   Ashgabat, Turkmenistan World Championships 10 November 2018
Clean & jerk 257   Ashgabat, Turkmenistan World Championships 10 November 2018
Total 474   Ashgabat, Turkmenistan World Championships 10 November 2018
Snatch 218   Batumi, Georgia European Championships 13 April 2019
Clean & jerk 260   Batumi, Georgia European Championships 13 April 2019
Total 478   Batumi, Georgia European Championships 13 April 2019
Snatch 220   Pattaya, Thailand World Championships 27 September 2019
Clean & jerk 264   Pattaya, Thailand World Championships 27 September 2019
Total 484   Pattaya, Thailand World Championships 27 September 2019
Snatch 222   Moscow, Russia European Championships 11 April 2021
Total 485   Moscow, Russia European Championships 11 April 2021
Snatch 223   Tokyo, Japan Summer Olympics 4 August 2021
Clean & jerk 265   Tokyo, Japan Summer Olympics 4 August 2021
Total 488   Tokyo, Japan Summer Olympics 4 August 2021
Snatch 225   Tashkent, Uzbekistan World Championships 17 December 2021
Clean & jerk 267   Tashkent, Uzbekistan World Championships 17 December 2021
Total 492   Tashkent, Uzbekistan World Championships 17 December 2021

Notes

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  • a His 220 kg snatch was a world record until 2018 when the IWF restructured the weight classes. He has since surpassed that lift for a current personal best and world record in the +109 kg category of 225 kg set at the 2021 World Championships. His personal bests (on video in training) are 225 kg snatch and a 270 kg clean and jerk.[36]

References

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  1. ^ "Giorgi Asanidze wins Coach of the Year". International Weighlifting Federation. 29 December 2016. Archived from the original on 10 November 2018. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  2. ^ a b "2021 World Weightlifting Championships Results Book" (PDF). International Weightlifting Federation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  3. ^ Olympic.org. "Olympic Profile". Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  4. ^ "Lasha Talakhadze". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016.
  5. ^ "Start List Men +109kg A" (PDF). Ashgabat 2018 IWF World Championship. 31 October 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 November 2018.
  6. ^ "2015 IWF World Championships". International Weightlifting Federation. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019.
  7. ^ Tao, David (17 May 2016). "Four Russian Weightlifters, Including Aleksey Lovchev, Banned for Doping". BarBend. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  8. ^ "IWF suspends world champion Aleksei Lovchev". Associated Press. 25 December 2015. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  9. ^ Rogovitskiy, Dmitriy (17 May 2016). King, Larry (ed.). "Russian weight lifter Lovchev banned for 4 years for doping". Reuters. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  10. ^ "World champion among 4 Russian weightlifters caught doping". Associated Press. 17 May 2016. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  11. ^ Oliver, Brian (17 August 2016). "Weightlifting: Georgian lifts gold as Iran cry foul". Reuters. Archived from the original on 1 October 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  12. ^ "Lasha TALAKHADZE". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  13. ^ "Lasha Talakhadze Wins Gold, Behdad Salimi Bombs Out After World Record Snatch". BarBend. 16 August 2016. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  14. ^ Hammer, Armen (8 April 2017). "Lasha Talakhadze (GEO) Snatches World Record 217kg At 2017 IWF Euros". FloElite. Archived from the original on 11 April 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  15. ^ "Georgian Weightlifter Sets New World Record". tabula.ge. 7 December 2017. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  16. ^ Coffa, Paul. "Taranenko, 266kg: the Untold Story". Lift Up. Archived from the original on 11 December 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  17. ^ "TALAKHADZE triumphed". International Weighlifting Federation. 10 November 2018. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  18. ^ "Georgian weightlifter Lasha Talakhadze wins world championship, beats world record". Agenda.ge. 11 November 2018. Archived from the original on 11 December 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  19. ^ "2019 European Championships Start Book" (PDF). European Weightlifting Federation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 October 2021.
  20. ^ "2019 European Championships Male Results" (PDF). European Weightlifting Federation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  21. ^ "TALAKHADZE Lasha took it all". International Weightlifting Federation. 27 September 2019. Archived from the original on 12 January 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  22. ^ "1,067 pounds! Georgian super heavyweight breaks world record total at weightlifting worlds". NBC Sports. 28 September 2019. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  23. ^ Oliver, Brian (17 December 2021). "Stunning sweep of weightlifting world records for Lasha - and another medal for Britain". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  24. ^ "Lasha has to fight for sixth weightlifting world title after injury and health worry". 16 December 2022.
  25. ^ "Georgia's Lasha Talakhadze claims 7th World Weightlifting Champion title".
  26. ^ "Sofia 2024 Day 9: Lalayan takes gold after Talakhadze's last-minute withdrawal". 20 February 2024.
  27. ^ "Lasha Talakhadze receives a Star". International Weightlifting Federation. 29 November 2016. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  28. ^ "World record holder weightlifter Lasha Talakhadze crowned Georgia's Sportsperson of the Year". Agenda.ge. 22 December 2017. Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  29. ^ "Georgian weightlifter Lasha Talakhadze named best athlete of 2018". Agenda.ge. 22 December 2018. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  30. ^ English, Nick (5 February 2018). "Talakhadze and Valentin Are the IWF Lifters of the Year". BarBend. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  31. ^ "Talakhadze and Valentin are Best for 2018 again". International Weighlifting Federation. 11 February 2019. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  32. ^ "Historical Doping Sanctions". International Weightlifting Federation. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  33. ^ "1,067 pounds! Georgian super heavyweight breaks world record total at weightlifting worlds". NBC News. 28 September 2019. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  34. ^ "Progress of world records men seniors | Old bdw". International Weightlifting Federation.
  35. ^ "Progress of world records men seniors". International Weightlifting Federation.
  36. ^ Hall, Derek (29 April 2021). "Lasha Talakhadze just landed the heaviest snatch and clean & jerk ever recorded (video)". Fitness Volt. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
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Olympic Games
Preceded by Flagbearer for   Georgia
(with Nino Salukvadze)
Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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