Iran’s National Weightlifting Team Wins World Championship for the Second Time
WANA (Oct 11) – The Iranian national weightlifting team delivered an outstanding performance at the 2025 World Championships held in Førde, Norway, scoring 387 points to claim the team world title. This marks Iran’s second-ever world championship, an achievement that comes eight years after its first title in Anaheim, USA, in 2017.
Despite not winning any overall gold medals in individual categories, Iran secured the top spot on the team podium through consistency, coordination, and steady point accumulation across all weight divisions—finishing ahead of North Korea and the United States in the overall standings.
Two World Silver Medals and a New Junior World Record for Iran’s 20-Year-Old Weightlifter, Alireza Nasiri. Social Media / WANA News Agency
Iran’s Performance at the 2025 Førde World Championships
- 79 kg: Abdollah Beiranvand – 9th place
- 88 kg: Elia Salehipour – 6th place
- 94 kg: Alireza Moeini – 1 gold, 1 silver; overall silver medalist
- 94 kg: Ali Alipour – 1 silver; 4th place overall
- 110 kg: Alireza Nasiri – 2 silvers; overall silver medalist
- 110 kg: Abolfazl Zare – 12th place
- +110 kg (Super Heavyweight): Ali Davoudi – Bronze in snatch
- Ayat Sharifi: Withdrew due to injury
The team was led by Behdad Salimi, the 2016 Rio Olympic champion and multiple-time world gold medalist. Supporting him were two other Iranian weightlifting legends: Hossein Rezazadeh – double Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion – and Sajjad Anoushiravani, the 2012 London Olympic silver medalist and Asian champion.
The presence of these three icons from different generations created a unique blend of experience, motivation, and modern expertise, which played a crucial role in restoring Iran to the summit of world weightlifting.
Two World Silver Medals and a New Junior World Record for Iran’s 20-Year-Old Weightlifter, Alireza Nasiri. Social Media / WANA News Agency
Rise of a New Generation of Ironmen
Among the athletes, Alireza Moeini and Alireza Nasiri emerged as the team’s brightest stars. Moeini captured one gold and one silver in the 94 kg category, while Nasiri earned two silvers in the 110 kg class—both surpassing expectations. Experts believe these young lifters could become worthy successors to Iran’s previous golden generation, which included legends such as Moradi, Rostami, and Davoudi, paving the way for a promising future for Iranian weightlifting.
In contrast, Ali Davoudi in the super heavyweight class was not in his best form and settled for a bronze in the snatch, falling short of predictions. Nevertheless, the discipline and consistent scoring of his teammates paved the way for Iran’s overall triumph.
A poster released by the Iranian Weightlifting Federation to celebrate the national team’s world championship victory, achieved with a total of six gold, silver, and bronze medals. Social media / WANA News Agency
A Historic Second Title After 2017
Iran last stood atop the world in 2017, when the team led by Sohrab Moradi, Kianoush Rostami, Behdad Salimi, Saeid Alihosseini, and Ali Hashemi captured the nation’s first-ever team world championship title in Anaheim, USA.
Now, eight years later, the new generation—guided by the heroes of that golden era—has once again lifted Iran to the pinnacle of global weightlifting.
One Gold and Two Silvers for Iran at the World Weightlifting Championships. Social media / WANA News Agency
Iran’s Global Ascent
This victory in Norway follows the recent success of Iran’s national wrestling team at the world championships and reflects a new era of progress in Iranian sports. Over the past months, Iran has achieved notable results in various international athletic and non-athletic events.
Observers describe this upward trend—especially after the 12-day war imposed by Israel on Iran—as a remarkable and surprising phenomenon in the global arena, symbolizing a renewed sense of determination, confidence, and self-belief among Iranians striving for a stronger international presence.
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