Action is building towards the Paralympic Games to be held in Paris 2024 and the Para Powerlifting event at the La Chapelle Arena is set to take fans through a thrilling time with four Paralympic champions expected to be awarded in two sessions. And this is where global super champions with several records to their names and past winners flock to go for gold.
Women’s up to 50kg will feature Great Britain’s Olivia Broome, the current world champion and the bronze medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. China’s Jinping Xiao, who claimed a new Asian record by lifting 123 kg recently but will not participate, and Nigeria’s Esther Oyema, world record holder will challenge the others though she will not be around. This category should offer a biggest showdown yet for the right to rule the roost.
Up to 59kg, the Chinese Paralympic and world champion Qi Yongkai will be in contention as the favorite to win men’s final. He will have a very difficult match with the El Salvador’s Herbert Aceituno, Tokyo 2020 Olympics bronze medalist and Iran’s Mohsen Bakhtiar, who demonstrated high results this season. The actual world record for this type of category is 211 kg established by Egypt’s Osman at Rio 2016.
Thursday night, all roads lights will be on Egypt’s Rehab Ahmed in the women’s freestyle up to 55kg. World title holder and record holder in the women’s 90 + kg category – and with a lift of 135 kg – She will be looking to add to her silver success in Tokyo 2020. The last Scheduled event of the day is the men’s up to 65 kg, where Zou Yi, a China national, world champion and record holder with 222 Kg would be competing. Iran’s Amir Jafari Arangeh, who wants to change the Tokyo silver medal for gold, is waiting for him.
This is the stage set for a day of outstanding performances and possibly record breaking lifts by the world’s best para powerlifters.