World Weightlifting Championships
Weightlifting · the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF)
The men's championships date from London 1891 and the women's from Daytona Beach 1987; the two have been held together since 1991. Medals are given for the snatch, the clean and jerk and the total; this page counts the total, the medal of the event.
- Next
- Ningbo 2026; then Yerevan 2027 and Caracas 2028
- Most golds (nation)
- China, 202; then the Soviet Union, 151 (all-time table, totals)
- India
- 18 medals: 3 gold, 10 silver, 5 bronze (all-time table, totals)
- Cycle
- Every year
India at the World Championships
India's 18 medals in the total, all won by women:
Førde 20251 event
Medal Lifter Silver (women's 48 kg, 199 kg) Mirabai Chanu 20221 event
Medal Lifter Silver Mirabai Chanu 20171 event
Medal Lifter Gold (women's 48 kg) Mirabai Chanu 19971 event
Medal Lifter Bronze Neelam Setti Laxmi 19971 event
Medal Lifter Silver Kunjarani Devi 19961 event
Medal Lifter Bronze Karnam Malleswari 19961 event
Medal Lifter Silver Kunjarani Devi 19951 event
Medal Lifter Silver Neelam Setti Laxmi 19951 event
Medal Lifter Silver Kunjarani Devi 19951 event
Medal Lifter Gold Karnam Malleswari 19941 event
Medal Lifter Silver Kunjarani Devi 19941 event
Medal Lifter Gold Karnam Malleswari 19931 event
Medal Lifter Bronze Bharti Singh 19931 event
Medal Lifter Bronze Karnam Malleswari 19921 event
Medal Lifter Silver Kunjarani Devi 19911 event
Medal Lifter Silver Kunjarani Devi 19891 event
Medal Lifter Bronze Lalita Polley 19891 event
Medal Lifter Silver Kunjarani Devi
These add up to the all-time table's 3 gold, 10 silver and 5 bronze. Kunjarani Devi won seven silvers in nine years (1989 to 1997). India also has medals in the snatch and the clean and jerk, which the all-time table does not count.
More about this tournament
Førde 2025 champions
| Section | Event | Champion | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 60 kg | Wang Hao (China) | 302 kg |
| Men | 65 kg | Muhammed Furkan Özbek (Turkey) | 324 kg (world record) |
| Men | 71 kg | Weeraphon Wichuma (Thailand) | 346 kg (world record) |
| Men | 79 kg | Rizki Juniansyah (Indonesia) | 361 kg |
| Men | 88 kg | Yeison López (Colombia) | 387 kg (world record) |
| Men | 94 kg | Karlos Nasar (Bulgaria) | 395 kg |
| Men | 110 kg | Akbar Djuraev (Uzbekistan) | 428 kg (world record) |
| Men | +110 kg | Varazdat Lalayan (Armenia) | 461 kg |
| Women | 48 kg | Ri Song-gum (North Korea) | 213 kg (world record) |
| Women | 53 kg | Kang Hyon-gyong (North Korea) | 214 kg |
| Women | 58 kg | Kim Il-gyong (North Korea) | 236 kg (world record) |
| Women | 63 kg | Ri Suk (North Korea) | 253 kg (world record) |
| Women | 69 kg | Song Kuk-hyang (North Korea) | 270 kg (world record) |
| Women | 77 kg | Olivia Reeves (United States) | 278 kg (world record) |
| Women | 86 kg | Solfrid Koanda (Norway) | 272 kg |
| Women | +86 kg | Park Hye-jeong (South Korea) | 283 kg |
Medal table (all-time, totals, top 5)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 202 | 97 | 50 | 349 |
| 2 | Soviet Union | 151 | 90 | 33 | 274 |
| 3 | Bulgaria | 82 | 82 | 65 | 229 |
| 4 | United States | 44 | 54 | 35 | 133 |
| 5 | Russia | 39 | 48 | 34 | 121 |
India is 35th: 3 gold, 10 silver, 5 bronze.
History
How it began
The first championships were held at London in 1891 for men; women's championships began at Daytona Beach in 1987.
Champions by era
Vasily Alekseyev of the Soviet Union won eight world titles (1970 to 1977), the most of any lifter; Naim Süleymanoğlu and Yurik Vardanyan won seven each.
India's story
Karnam Malleswari won India's first two world titles (1994 and 1995). Mirabai Chanu won the third, in 2017. Chanu added a silver at Førde 2025.
Firsts and facts
- First championships: London 1891.
- First women's championships: Daytona Beach 1987.
- Most titles: Vasily Alekseyev, eight.