Uzbek weightlifter Akbar Juraev delivered one of the standout performances of the 2025 World Weightlifting Championships by claiming three gold medals in the men’s 110 kg class, breaking world records and asserting his dominance in the sport.
The championships, held October 2–11 in Førde, Norway, drew nearly 500 athletes from 87 countries to compete under the auspices of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF). On Day 9, the 110 kg division was one of the marquee finals, especially as two Uzbek Olympic champions – Juraev and Ruslan Nuridinov – faced off in the same category.
Juraev, 25, came in with a formidable résumé: already a world champion in 2021 and 2023, and an Olympic gold medalist from Tokyo 2020. After a near-miss at the 2024 Paris Games, where he took silver in the 102 kg class, Juraev said he was “back at my right weight” and hungry for redemption.
In Norway, Juraev delivered a flawless sequence. On his third snatch attempt he lifted 196 kg, setting a new world record in the snatch. He followed that with a 232 kg clean and jerk, reaching a combined total of 428 kg, also a world record. He even attempted 245 kg in the clean and jerk, later joking that he was “just messing around.”
After the victory, Juraev said, “I am back at my right weight. I can eat properly, train properly. I feel good, very happy.” He added that last year’s Olympic disappointment still drives him: “That’s why I have silver and not gold.”
Juraev’s sweep of snatch, clean & jerk, and total golds made him a three-time world champion.
Meanwhile, his compatriot Nuridinov, the 33-year-old veteran and Rio 2016 Olympic champion, also shone in Førde. He lifted 186 kg in the snatch and 228 kg in the clean and jerk, earning two bronzes (in clean & jerk and total) with a combined 414 kg. His performance underscored not only his own resilience but also Uzbekistan’s continuing dominance in the world of weightlifting.
