Double Gold for Turkmenistan as Shahzadbek Matyakubov Dominates IWF Grand Prix II

In a jaw dropping show of strength,Shahzadbek Matyakubov ended up as the undisputed winner of the 2023 IWF Grand Prix II 96 kg category, showing his exceptional skill and claiming two gold medals in Clean and Jerk and Total categories.

In the Snatch he started with 160 kg, in the second attempt, he successfully lifted 164 kg placing him alone in second place, and only trailing back 1 kg from Armenia’s Davit Hovhannisyan, and in the third  attempt, he continued with his strategy and lifted 167 kg, making him finish second in the snatch category, staying back by only 3 kg difference con Armenia’s Hovhannisyan.

For the Clean and Jerk the waves were different for Matyakubov, he started with 190 kg on his first attempt, placing him third 197 kg on his second attempt, making him second, and in the third attempt he lifted 204 kg that solidified him in first place after Tae Bong Yang failed his 205 kg attempt and Hovhannisyan’s 205 kg resulted in a ¨no lift¨.

After his 204 kg Clean and Jerk and 167 Snatch, Matyakubov got a total of 371 kg, which placed him in first place, ahead of Hovhannisyan by only 1 kg and Tae Bong Yang by 9 kg.

About Shahzadbek

Born and raised in Turkmenistan, Shahzadbek Matyakubov has been making it big in the weightlifting word, accumulating a list of accomplishments, like placing 7th on the clean and Jerk in 2022’s Asian Championship, earning 2nd place in Clean and Jerk, 1st place in Snatch and 2nd place in total  in 2023’s World Junior Championship in Guadalajara Mexico.

For those wanting to read more about everything going on in Qatar’s IWF Grand Prix II 96 kg, you should see our full recap on this category. And if you want to keep up to date with what has been happening in the whole competition and who’s qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics you should read our day to day recap and analysis of all the categories and winners.