Qatari weightlifter Fares Ibrahim Hassouna trains ahead of the 6th edition of Qatar International Cup which kicks off in Doha today
Qatar’s weightlifting star Fares Ibrahim Hassouna will be looking to defend his crown in the 96kg class when the 6th edition of Qatar International Cup kicks off in Doha today.
The tournament will take place at the Radisson Blu Hotel until December 23.
The silver winner at the 2019 World Championships in his weight category, Hassouna will be looking to rewrite record books in the same manner he did a year ago.
The two-time Junior World Champion and a silver medallist at the 2018 Asian Games, the 21-year-old lifted a record total of 397kg to win gold during the previous edition of the event last year.
In the men’s 96kg category (Group A), Fares lifted 172kg in the snatch, followed by a clean and jerk lift of 225kg to outclass a field of 14 top class weightlifters, renewing the junior records in both clean and jerk and combined weights.
Fares will begin his quest for back-to-back titles in the home event at 3:00pm on Sunday.
This year’s championship, hosted by the Qatar Weightlifting Federation (QWF) under the auspices of the International Weightlifting Federation, will see over 150 lifters representing 42 countries in action, showing a significant growth from last year’s 117 from 35 nations.
Female lifters will compete under seven weight classes while men will vie for honours in eight categories during this year’s edition of the annual championship.
The tournament kicks off with the women’s 49kg competitions at 8:00am. The women’s 55kg and men’s 61kg events will be held before the opening ceremony which will be followed by the men’s 67kg event.
