Ouisal Ikhlef competes during the Women’s +86kg weightlifting final.
Doha, Qatar: Qatar’s Ouisal Ikhlef completed a clean sweep of gold medals in the Women’s +86kg weightlifting final, winning Snatch, Clean & Jerk and the overall title with a total lift of 277kg at the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh yesterday.
At the Boulevard SEF Arena, Ikhlef set the tone in the clean & jerk, gaining a 10-kilogramme cushion over her closest rival. Ikhlef succeeded in all three of her clean & jerk attempts, clearing 146kg, 151kg and 160kg respectively to top the table.
Kazakhstan’s Lyubov Kovalchuk took silver with a lift of 150kg, while Uzbekistan’s Tursunoy Jabborova earned bronze at 138kg.
Qatar’s Ouisal Ikhlef poses with her gold medals.
Ikhlef’s dominance continued in the snatch as she lifted 117kg on her opening attempt. She tried to increase it to 121kg next and missed before skipping the third attempt, but the total of 277kg was enough for her to sweep all three gold medals.
Kovalchuk also made 117kg on her third attempt to take silver, while Jabborova secured bronze at 116kg.
Ikhlef dedicated the medals to Qatar, thanking the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) and the Qatar Weightlifting Federation for their backing.
“The competition was very tough, but good preparation and determination were behind this success. I dedicate these medals to everyone who stood by me, and I promise the Qatari public that I will continue working to raise the national flag high in future championships,” Ikhlef said.
QOC First Vice President Mohammed bin Yousef Al-Mana, who presented the awards to the podium winners of the event, hailed Ikhlef’s “historic achievement,” calling it a sign of the sport’s progress in the country.
Later yesterday, the Qatari delegation celebrated Ikhlef’s victory at the Athletes’ Village in a ceremony attended by Al Mana, Deputy Director of the Qatari Delegation Khalifa Jaber Al Nuaimi and several athletes.
Ikhlef’s triple gold achievement lifted Qatar’s medal tally to four, as they moved up to ninth in the overall standings. On Tuesday, Qatar won its first medal as swimmer Ali Tamer claimed silver in the men’s 100-meter freestyle at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Olympic Complex.
Today, Qatar volleyball team will have the opportunity to add one bronze to the tally.
Qatar men lost to Bahrain 1-3 (21-25, 20-25, 26-24, 22-25) in their final round-robin match yesterday, concluding the stage in fourth position. With leaders Turkiye and Iran advancing to the final, Qatar will meet Bahrain again in the bronze medal match at the Boulevard SEF Arena.
Meanwhile, Qatar riders impressed in the show jumping competition, with Sheikh Ali bin Khalid Al Thani and Mohammed Khalifa Al Baker advancing to Round 2 after faultless first rounds. Ghanim Nasser Al Qadi also made the cut, despite gaining four penalties.
Qatar’s table tennis team ended its run in the men’s doubles quarter-finals as Mohamed Abdelwahab and Abdullah Abdelwahab fell to Algeria’s Milan Djellouli and Mohieddine Bella in straight games (11-7, 11-4, 11-8).
