By Julian Linden, OCA Media
Nagoya, Japan, September 28, 2026: Ali Alipour secured Iran’s first gold medal in weightlifting at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games with a monster heave under huge pressure that none of his rivals could match.
A star on the rise, Alipour added the Asian Games gold to the silver medal he won at last year’s world championships in Norway with a nerveless performance in the men’s 95 kilograms division.
Leading Nurgissa Adiletuly of Kazakhstan by just 1kg after a best hoist of 180kg in the snatch, Alipour fell back to second spot overall when he dropped the barbell on 218kg and Adiletuly lifted 217kg at their second attempts in the clean and jerk.
Gambling that his opponent had reached his limit, Alipour kept the weight at 218kg and immediately returned to the platform for his final attempt in front of a rowdy crowd at the Nagoya City Trade and Industry Center.
Knowing he would miss out on the gold with another failed lift, he gritted his teeth and, with one mighty effort, he raised nearly two and a half times his own bodyweight above his head to get the white lights from all three judges and jump back into first place with a total of 398kg.
Needing to lift 222kg to go back in front, Adiletuly was unable to make it on his final attempt so settled for the silver with a total of 394kg while the bronze went to China’s Tu Yi (384kg).
One of Asia’s powerhouse nations in weightlifting, Alipour’s gold was Iran’s first in Nagoya after Reihaneh Karimi won silver in the women’s 77kg class.
Just 22, Alipour has been making big strides in the middle heavyweight class, which has been included on the program for the next Olympics, but he was still under real pressure to win after getting down to his last attempt
After proving he can handle the occasion, he now has sights on the ultimate prize at Los Angeles in 2028.
“I have been losing weight and I was feeling dizzy. I have lifted the weight many times in training before so I knew I could do it. I did,” Alipour said.
“I have been striving for this for a lifetime and I had set my sights on the gold medal here. Finally, I have achieved it. Now my goal is the Olympics.”
Alipour celebrated his breakthrough by ushering his coach Behdad Salimi on to the podium then placing the gold medal around his neck as a gesture of his appreciation to his friend and mentor.
“He has put so much effort into me. He is like a brother to me. I had to repay that hard work,” Alipour said.
“Had I failed to do so, then I would have lost a gold medal and he would have lost faith in me.”
