Two silver medals, in clean and jerk and in total, were won by Turkmen weightlifter Maksat Meredov at Asian Championship in Tashkent. 21-year old student of Turkmen State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports, foster of the school of the highest sport skill had this success in the weight category up to 73 kg with personal record of 336 kg (snatch – 147, clean and jerk – 189).

10 athletes from 9 countries were contested for the medals in this weight category.

In first discipline, our sportsman has successfully used two attempts lifting first 143 and thereafter 147 kg. In the final approach, he didn’t manage to lift 150 kg, which resulted in the 6^th position at the first part of the competition.

In clean and jerk, Maksat has successfully used all three attempts, having lifted 180, 186 and 189 kg. In the result, he has beaten his own record by 16 kg, which was set at the IWF World Cup in 2019, and has taken over silver medalist of 2017 junior world championship, bronze medalist of 2017 World Student Games Masanori Miyamato (Japan) by one kilogram.

2017 Asian Champion Yuan Zhengfei (China), who was the second after the snatch, has finished completion in clean and jerk with zero result, which helped M. Meredov to hold the second position. 27-year old 2016 Olympic champion in the weight category up to 69 kg, three time world champions Shí Zhìyǒng (China) has become Asian Champion for the fourth time with result of 363 kg (169+194).

Having become a vice champion of Asia with personal record, Maksat Meredov has made a serious claim to participate in the Olympic Games in Tokyo, which would be held on July 23 – August 8, 2021. Two years ago, he won bronze medal at junior world tournament in Suva (Fiji). Perspective sportsman owes all his success to the Head Coach of Turkmenistan National Team Artur Emiryan.

Coming junior world championship in Tashkent, which will be the last qualification competition for the Olympic Games in Japan, will be the next serios ordeal for M. Meredov.