hookgrip

20 year-old Yuan Chengfei (-69kg, China) front squatting 195kg/430lb for a double and then 215kg/474lb for a single at the 2016 Asian Championships training hall in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. He's a 2x junior world silver medalist! (at Tashkent, Uzbekistan)

19 year-old Zhang Wangli (-69kg, China) back squatting 185kg/407lb for a double at the 2016 Asian Championships training hall. We aren't 100% sure about the weight but it appears to be 25+20+20+10+5+2.5+collar per side, which would be 185 on a female bar. She made a 150kg/330lb clean and jerk at 65.14kg bodyweight at the Grand Prix in Fuzhou last fall, the lightest woman to ever CJ 150kg! (at Tashkent, Uzbekistan)

Patricia @strenius (-63kg, Sweden) power snatching 88kg and 91kg/200lb at the 2016 Europeans! Google "strenius 195kg" to see a video of her deadlifting 195kg/430lb with ease! (at Førdehuset)

19 year-old @simon.martirosyan (-105kg, Armenia) cleaning 225kg/496lb at the 2016 Europeans! In 2014 he won the Youth Olympic Games at the age of 17 with 170/221/391. He also snatched 184kg/405lb a few months later while still 17! (at Førdehuset)

@gabrielsincraian (-85kg, Romania) winning the snatch at the 2016 Europeans with 169kg/372.5lb! He went 169/202/371 to set an international competition PR, edging out his 370kg total from the 2011 Worlds.

16 year-old Stilyan Grozdev (-62kg, Bulgaria) snatching a European Youth Record of 124kg/274lb at the 2016 European Championships! (at Førdehuset)

17 year-old Rebeka Koha (-53kg, Latvia) snatching 90kg/198lb to win the snatch silver at the 2016 Europeans. She also CJed 108kg/238lb (video on our YouTube) and won the overall bronze -- her first podium at a major senior int'l competition. The first time we (meaning hookgrip) saw her was 2.5 years ago at the 2013 European Juniors where she did 68/82 as a 15 year-old 48. And less than two years ago she CJed 94 in her first competition as a 53, she is improving very quickly and consistently! (at Førdehuset)

22 year-old @talaxadzelasha (105kg+, Georgia) going 200, 207 and 212kg/467lb in the snatch at the 2016 Europeans! This set a new senior European record and is just 2kg under the 214kg world record. (at Førdehuset)

Gor Minasyan (105kg+, Armenia) with a borderline power snatch at 205kg/452lb to set a new int'l competition PR at the 2016 Europeans! He's only 21 years old! (at Førdehuset)

Side view of 2015 World Champion Boyanka Kostova's (-58kg, Azerbaijan) 120kg/264lb clean and jerk opener at the 2016 Europeans. She holds the world record in the snatch with 112kg and total with 252kg. She's CJed 140kg/308lb which is 1kg shy of the WR. While Azerbaijan doesn't have any female spots for the Olympics and they didn't earn one at Europeans, we can all hope that the IWF will grant AZE a spot so she'll be allowed to compete -- otherwise the reigning world champion and world record holder will be forced to miss Rio 2016! (at Førdehuset)

17 year-old Rebekah Tiler (-69kg, Great Britain) snatching 99kg/218lb at the 2016 Europeans where she took 3rd, the only youth lifter to win an overall medal at the competition. She also CJed 126kg/278lb! (at Førdehuset)

2015 WWC snatch gold medalist Daniyar Ismayilov (-69kg, Turkey) snatching 155kg/341lb at the 2016 Europeans where he won his 2nd straight European title. Look for him to be in contention for a medal this summer at the 2016 Olympic Games! (at Førdehuset)

20 year-old Andranik Karapetyan (-77kg, Armenia) snatching 170kg/375lb at the 2016 Europeans. He made 165 and 170 before taking a crack at 174 -- which would have been a new European senior record and just 2kg below Lu Xiaojun's world record. Karapetyan just turned 20 in mid December so if he'd been born a few weeks later he would still be a junior and he'd be a serious threat to Taner Sagir's 172.5kg Junior World Record. He also established himself as a major medal threat in Rio this summer! (at Førdehuset)

19 year-old @simon.martirosyan (-105kg, Armenia) power snatching 150kg/330lb, CJing 200kg/441lb and doing a back squat double with 240kg/529lb in the 2016 Europeans training hall -- he did this yesterday so this was his workout while four days out. He competes on the 16th at 11:25 local time in Norway. In 2014 he won the Youth Olympic Games and he broke the Youth World Record in the snatch, CJ and total. (at Naustdal)

20 year-old Andranik Karapetyan (-77kg, Armenia) making easy work of a 200kg/441lb front squat double. He's the youth world record holder in the snatch (155kg) and total (331kg) and he competes tomorrow in the 2016 European Seniors at 19:35 local time in Norway. He'll be going up against a tough group including the 2014 champion Erkand Qerimaj and 2015 champion Tigran Martirosyan -- among many others! (at Naustdal)

Boyanka Kostova (-58kg, Azerbaijan) power snatching 95kg and 100kg/220lb on her first two attempts at the 2016 Europeans. She also snatched 105kg on her third. She's the world record holder with 112kg and she's also the 2015 World Champion with a 252kg World Record in the total as well. (at Førdehuset)