Beheshti wins six Asian weightlifting golds as Iranian girls secure historic runner-up finish

Iranian weightlifter Mahsa Beheshti completed a remarkable six-gold haul at the 2026 Asian Youth & Junior Championships in Tashkent, while Iran's women's youth team secured a historic second-place finish in the team standings.

Beheshti secured three more gold medals in the women's junior 86kg category without taking to the platform on Friday. Her marks from the previous day's women's youth +77kg competition were enough to top the junior field, as no lifter in the junior category could surpass her results.

On Thursday, Beheshti lifted 113kg in the snatch and 148kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 261kg, winning all three gold medals in the youth +77kg category.

With those marks remaining unmatched by the junior lifters, Beheshti was awarded gold in the junior 86kg snatch, clean and jerk, and total, taking her championship haul to six gold medals.

Iran also enjoyed a strong team performance in the youth women's competition.

The Iranian girls collected 534 points to finish second behind Kazakhstan, which scored 551. Host Uzbekistan placed third with 514 points. Iran's youth women won six gold, three silver and three bronze medals.

The result marked a significant milestone for Iran's women's weightlifting program, which has continued to expand its presence in international competition.

Iran's youth men also finished runners-up in the team standings. Uzbekistan topped the table with 553 points, followed by Iran on 530 and Kazakhstan on 506.

The Iranian boys collected nine gold, four silver and two bronze medals.

Among them, Taha Nojavani delivered one of the competition's standout performances in the youth +95kg category. He won gold in the snatch with 176kg and followed it with a 215kg clean and jerk. His 391kg total secured his third gold medal.

His performance also produced multiple youth records. His teammate Pouria Abbaspourian won three silver medals in the same category, recording 175kg in the snatch, 215kg in the clean and jerk and 318kg in total.

The Iranian pair repeatedly broke the world record in the snatch during Thursday’s competition.

The 2026 championships form part of the Asian Weightlifting Federation's youth and junior calendar and bring together young lifters from across the continent. The competition is scheduled to conclude on August 14.

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