Olympic weightlifter Akbar Djuraev is quickly becoming one of the more dominant figures in his sport. His latest achievement might be a harbinger of what’s on the horizon for the still-ascending athlete.
On May 27, 2022, Djuraev (109KG) shared footage of himself successfully capturing a 245-kilogram (540.1 pounds) clean & jerk during a training session. Because it occurred while training, Djuraev’s mark is an unofficial World Record for the Men’s 109-kilogram division. Djuraev wore a lifting belt, lifting straps, and knee sleeves to complete the rep.
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Djuraev’s 245-kilogram (540.1-pound) clean & jerk exceeds the number of one of his Uzbekistan Olympic teammates, Ruslan Nurudinov. Before finishing second to Djuraev during the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships (WWC), Nurudinov captured the still-current clean & jerk World Record with a 241-kilogram (531.3-pound) lift.
Perhaps even more impressively, Djuraev’s lift is only four kilograms (8.8 pounds) off the all-time non-superheavyweight record. That mark belongs to Yuri Zakharevich (who competed in the then-weight class of 110KG). He completed a 250.5-kilogram (552.2-pound) clean & jerk in April 1988.
Nurudinov’s official figure for the 109-kilogram division might not last much longer if Djuraev can take the training feat to a sanctioned competition.
Djuraev at a Glance
At 22-years-old, Djuraev already has quite the decorated and accomplished resume for a weightlifter. If he continues a torrid pace that includes a gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games (held in 2021) and a win in the 2021 WWC — he might soon enter a conversation with other established weightlifting elites.
Here’s a rundown of Djuraev’s complete career results, exemplifying his rapid progression:
Akbar Djuraev | Career Results
- 2017 Junior World Weightlifting Championships (JWWC) — Sixth place
- 2017 WWC — 13th place
- 2018 JWCC — Second place
- 2018 WWC — Fourth place
- 2019 Asian Weightlifting Championships (AWC) — Second place
- 2019 JWCC — First place
- 2019 WWC — Fourth place
- 2020 AWC — Second place
- 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games — First place
- 2021 WWC — First place
Notably, as he was 21 for its duration, Djuraev is the second-youngest Olympic Champion since 2000. For context, Belarusian weightlifter Andrei Aramnau was just 20-years-old when he won the gold medal in the Men’s 105-kilogram division during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.
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A Vital Year Ahead
While Djuraev is the current Olympic and World Champion, he still has a lot to accomplish. The athlete has yet to claim a Senior World Record during his career, leaving a gap in an impressive resume that he likely wants to fill.
Djuraev won’t get an opportunity to add that notch to his belt until later in the year 2022. He will compete in the 2022 World Weightlifting Championships in Bogotá, Colombia, this coming late fall. Given that the competition was originally in China and postponed from earlier this year, it’s unclear precisely when it will start at the time of this writing.
Whenever it does begin, the weightlifting sphere will undoubtedly be on the watch for Djuraev to finally add a Senior World Record to his name.
Featured image: @akbar_djuraev on Instagram
