Men’s +110 kg – 2025 IWF World Championships: The Giants of Førde Bring the House Down

A Monumental Finale in Norway

The curtain fell on the 2025 IWF World Championships in Førde, Norway, with the biggest men in the sport taking the platform for the final act – the Men’s +110 kg category. Inside the packed Fordehuset arena, 1,700 fans cheered as the heaviest barbells of the tournament were loaded for a show that fused brutal strength, technical mastery, and raw emotion.

This session was more than a battle for gold – it was a celebration of the sport itself. The crowd knew they were witnessing the world’s strongest humans on stage at the end of the IWF’s 120th anniversary championships.

The Super Heavyweight Context

After the post-Olympic category restructure, the men’s +110 kg class became the new home of weightlifting’s giants. With Lasha Talakhadze watching from the stands but not competing, the stage was set for a new leader to emerge in the era beyond his dominance.

The record standards were enormous – 218 kg in the snatch, 260 kg in the clean & jerk, and a total benchmark of 477 kg. 

Meet the Athletes

Varazdat LALAYAN (ARM) – Olympic silver medalist (Paris 2024) and two-time World Champion. After silver in Tashkent 2021, bronze in Bogotá 2022, and silver in Riyadh 2023, he rose to claim back-to-back world titles in Manama 2024 and Førde 2025 – a model of calm precision and power in the superheavy class.

Gor T. MINASYAN (BRN) – Olympic silver and bronze medalist, and one of the most consistent superheavyweights of the past decade. Now representing Bahrain, the multiple World medalist and two-time Asian champion is known for his trademark wide-grip snatch, explosive power, and remarkable longevity at the top.

Ali DAVOUDI – Olympic silver medalist from Tokyo, Davoudi came with formidable lifts – 206 kg snatch, 255 kg clean & jerk in training. He was considered a major threat for gold until a missed snatch series ended his night early.

Aaron Andrew WILLIAMS (USA) – A crowd favorite for Team USA, the American record holder was the first U.S. superheavy to reach a World A Final since 2019. Powerful and explosive, Williams came in with ambition to break 225 kg in the clean & jerk.

Ali SHARIFIKELARIJAN – A domestic champion making his first World Championship appearance, known for his aggressive pulls and tenacious fighting spirit.

Moayad M. ALNAJJAR (UAE) – The Emirati lifter brought energy and speed, one of the lighter athletes in the field but technically sharp and improving fast.

SONG Yeonghwan (KOR) and LEE Yangjae (KOR) – Two Korean lifters with precise technique and superb consistency. They added both precision and discipline to a chaotic field of power lifters.

Group B standouts included Vladyslav PRYLYPKO (UKR), Norwegian hero Ragnar HOLME (whose 178 kg snatch brought a roar from the home crowd), and Czech veteran Kamil KUCERA, all finishing with solid totals that would have placed them respectably in any international field.

The Snatch 

The snatch segment began with rising tension as each lifter set the tone for the night’s final showdown. Moayad Alnajjar opened confidently at 170 kg, earning cheers from the crowd for his sharp, quick movement under the bar. The Korean duo, Song Yeonghwan and Lee Yangjae, displayed trademark control and discipline on the platform. Song opened confidently with 175 kg but couldn’t hold 180 kg on his next two attempts. Lee followed a similar path, missing his second lift at 180 kg before correcting perfectly on his third to secure the weight with precision and composure.

Aaron Andrew Williams brought explosive energy, powering through 185 kg for a personal best that sent the American corner into celebration.Ali Sharifikelarijan missed all his snatch attempts at 190 kg and 197 kg, leaving the platform without a result, while Ali Davoudi managed just one successful lift at 196 kg – enough to secure third place in the snatch.

From there, the arena’s focus narrowed to the giants. Gor T. Minasyan missed his opener at 205 kg, came back to make the same weight on his second attempt, and then narrowly missed 210 kg, settling with 205 kg for silver in the snatch. Then, with ice-cold composure, Varazdat Lalayan stepped out last – after a confident 206 kg opener, he lifted 211 kg at third attempt effortlessly overhead to secure snatch gold. It was a battle of precision and nerve, where every attempt carried the weight of world titles.

Snatch Medalists

🥇 Varazdat LALAYAN (ARM) – 211 kg
🥈 Gor T. MINASYAN (BRN) – 205 kg
🥉 Ali DAVOUDI – 196 kg

Clean & Jerk 

Ali Davoudi opened at 243 kg, then tried 244 and 246 kg, but missed all three attempts. Ali Sharifikelarijan followed with two determined attempts at 244 kg, but both ended in missed jerks, leaving him without a successful lift in the clean & jerk.

Aaron WILLIAMS attacked 220, 221, and 225 kg, the last lift standing momentarily before crashing down – no total, but a performance that won him respect for his fearless style.

The Korean lifters continued to shine technically. Song Yeonghwan hit 235 kg with ease to secure his bronze total and personal best 410 kg. Teammate Lee Yangjae followed with 225 kg to finish fourth overall.

Then the heavy guns loaded up. Minasyan opened with 242 kg – good lift. His second attempt at 251 kg looked heroic but just slipped at lockout, forcing him to settle for silver overall at 447 kg. He withdrew from the third attempt.  

Lalayan was methodical as ever. 245 kg – no problem. 250 kg – rock solid. He then called for 261 kg to break the world standard and become the first official record-holder of the new era. The bar floated cleanly to his chest, but a slight stumble on the jerk forced a no lift. Still, his 250 kg secured gold in both clean & jerk and total.

Clean & Jerk Medalists

🥇 Varazdat LALAYAN (ARM) – 250 kg
🥈 Gor T. MINASYAN (BRN) – 242 kg
🥉 Song Yeonghwan (KOR) – 235 kg

Total Results and Medal Recap

Records and Highlights

Although no world records fell officially, the session came close to the new standards – Lalayan’s 261 kg attempt was the closest of the championships to the clean & jerk mark, and Minasyan’s 251 kg try would have broken his own Asian record if completed.

Notably, the new Junior World Records (197 / 235 / 431 kg) remained untouched, but several Group B lifters set personal best national records – including Ragnar Holme’s 178 kg snatch, a new Norwegian record on home soil.

Final Thoughts

The Men’s +110 kg competition in Førde was a fitting finale to an unforgettable World Championships – a clash of titans that embodied everything weightlifting stands for: strength, precision, and heart. Varazdat Lalayan’s calm dominance, Gor Minasyan’s unyielding fight, and the courage of other athletes l showed the full spectrum of the sport’s emotion and drama.

As the crowd’s cheers echoed through Fordehuset, it was clear this session didn’t just close the championship – it crowned a new era for superheavyweight lifting. The next generation is ready, the records are within reach, and the spirit of the sport has never burned brighter.

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