94-kg Category: Dobrev Shines
by Randall J. Strossen, IronMind Enterprises, Inc. © 2003
Vancouver, British Columbia – Coming in as favorite, Milen Dobrov (Bulgaria) didn't disappoint as he picked up the gold medal in the snatch (185 kg), the silver in the clean and jerk (220 kg), and the gold in the total (405 kg) in the 94-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships.
Also producing a very impressive performance, Hakan Yilmaz (Turkey) went six for six, ending up with 180/220, for a bronze in the jerk and a silver in the total. Bronze in the total went to Vadim Vacarciuc (Moldavia), via 177.5/222.5. Alexei Petrov (Russia) attacked his opening snatch, 180 kg, ripping the bar overhead, but had to run forward to save it and stepped off the platform. He came back to make it, and then 185 kg on his third attempt, so appeared to be in the hunt for a gold medal in the total, but he missed all three jerks (220, 220, 222.5).
Earlier, in the women's 75-kg category, Shang Shichun (China) broke the world records in the snatch (120 kg), the clean and jerk (153 kg) and the total (272.5 kg), for a dominating sweep of the gold medals.