Sergio Massidda he unleashes all his talent and performs a splendid feat on the Riyadh platform, winning a fantastic silver medal in total in -61 kg at the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships. The talented twenty-one year old Sardinian showed off a magnificent performance, improving his Italian record by 9 kg (from 293 to 302) and bringing Italy back to the world championship podium five years after the last time (Mirco Scarantino bronze in the 55 kg).
The two-time world junior champion also rewrote the national records in the specialty, also winning a snatch silver with 137 kg and raising 165 kg in the sprint. Our standard bearer, born in 2002, only surrendered to the excessive power of the Chinese Fabin Li, dominator of the category who today achieved the third senior world title of his career with a total of 308 kg. Thanks to today’s result in the Saudi capital, the native of Ghilarza jumps to second place in the Olympic ranking and takes a perhaps definitive step forward towards qualification for Paris 2024.
Massidda is the second last to get on the platform in Group A for his first snatch test and starts off great, easily lifting 135 kg. The Italian was then overtaken by Mishvelidze (136 at the last attempt) and Fabin Li (137 kg at the start), before brilliantly completing the second lift at 137 kg, improving his national record by two points and guaranteeing himself a place on the podium of specialties. Sergio subsequently runs into a null at 139 kg, while the reigning champion does 141 and then fails in the world record attempt at 146 kg. Fabin Li won gold with 141 kg, then Massidda at 137 and the Georgian Shota Mishvelidze at 136.
Very aggressive strategy from the Italian technical staff also in the second half of the competition, with the 2023 European vice-champion immediately trying to tweak his personal skills and setting the new national momentum record with 163 kg. Massidda goes up two lengths for the second race, but fails to complete the push after a perfect turn. The Sardinian weightlifter tries again immediately and this time he is impeccable, lifting 165 kg and claiming a medal in the general competition with a total of 302 kg (one more than the Chinese from Group B).
Fabin Li makes a strange mistake in the first attempt at 167 kg, but does not lose his composure and achieves the same measurement on the second attempt without problems. Certain of victory in the total (with 308 kg), the Chinese is however sensationally surpassed in momentum by the young American Hampton Miller Morris, out of the competition in the sprint with three nulls but capable of establishing the new junior world record in the specialty clean and jerk con 168 kg. The Chinese standard bearer has the right to reply with the third test, but fails the 169 and gives the American teenager an unexpected gold of momentum. Specialty bronze to Malaysian Aniq Kasdan (Group B) with 166 kg. As for the ranking overall, Fabin Li wins with 308 kg ahead of Massidda (302) and the second Chinese Ding Hongjie (301 in Group B).
Photo: FIPE
