It's difficult to predict the result of the men's 94kg category weightlifting on Sunday. It seems everyone of the 10 lifters in the Group A has a chance to compete for a medal.
Ilya Ilin of Kazakhstan, gold medalist at 2006 world championships, was prepared to fight for the first weightlifting gold for Kazakhstan at Olympics. He was a hot favorite in this category not only because he was ranked first on the entry list, but also because he is the youngest player among the 10, only 20 years old.
Kazakhstan joined the Olympic family in 1996 and its historic highlight in weightlifting before Beijing Olympics is getting two silvers.
Kazakhstan women lifters have gained two silvers in Beijing, Irina Nekrassova in the 63kg class and Alla Vazhenina in the 75kg category.
Ilya will step into intense competition with other medal hopefuls, including Nizami Pashayev of Azerbaijan, 2002 and 2005 world champion, and 2007 world champion Roman Konstantinov of Russia.
Polish Szymon Kolecki, runner-up of 2006 world championships and 2007 world championships bronze medalist and Cuban lifter Yohandrys Hernandez, 2007 world championships silver medalist will also have the opportunity to fight for gold.
Two rookies, Poland's Bartlomiej Bonk, 23, and Arsen Kasabiev of Georgia, 20, cannot be ignored either as they were ranked second and third with the same entry total of 405kg, six kilos less than Ilin's.
(Xinhua News Agency August 16, 2008)