The World Junior Weightlifting Championships in Ismailia, Egypt, brought a major victory for Turkmenistan: second-year student of the Turkmen State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports, Anamjan Rustamova, won two gold medals and the world champion title in the women’s 86 kg weight category, outperforming 10 competitors in the total, including top athletes from China and Armenia.
In the snatch, she successfully completed two attempts at 107 kg and 110 kg, finishing fourth in the discipline, 4 kg behind Egypt’s Rahma Ahmed Elsaed, who led after the first event.
In the clean and jerk, the Egyptian athlete failed all three attempts at 131 kg, making it clear that the battle for the world title would be decided between Turkmenistan’s Anamjan Rustamova, reigning European champion and 2024 World Junior Champion Emma Poghosyan of Armenia, and China’s Xu Linyue.
The thrilling contest on the platform kept spectators in suspense until the very end. As events unfolded, the gold medal was ultimately decided by the final attempt of each athlete.
In her first clean and jerk attempt, Anamjan confidently lifted 141 kg, but failed her second attempt at 145 kg.
The Chinese athlete, by contrast, successfully completed all three attempts at 135 kg, 142 kg, and 146 kg. With a total of 256 kg, Xu Linyue moved into first place, and it seemed that China would claim yet another gold medal at the 2026 World Junior Championships.
Emma Poghosyan successfully lifted 137 kg and 144 kg in her first two attempts and also entered the battle for the title.
Then came the decisive moment. After the unsuccessful 145 kg attempt, the coaches of the Turkmen weightlifter took a risk in order to surpass the Chinese athlete by 1 kg: they requested what seemed to be an impossible weight — 147 kg. At that moment, A. Rustamova accomplished a remarkable feat. She lifted 147 kg and moved into first place with a total of 257 kg.
Only Emma Poghosyan’s final attempt remained. To overtake the Turkmen athlete, the Armenian competitor attempted to lift 149 kg. However, the attempt failed completely, and Emma Poghosyan ultimately finished third with a total of 253 kg (109 + 144 kg). Xu Linyue of China placed second with 256 kg (110 + 146 kg). The world champion title went to Anamjan Rustamova with an outstanding total of 257 kg (110 + 147 kg).
Notably, at the 2024 World Junior Championships in León, Spain, Anamjan, competing in the 81 kg category, earned only one bronze medal in the snatch with 103 kg. Last year, at the World Junior Championships in Lima, Peru, she claimed the top spot in the 87 kg category for the first time. Now, she has won two gold medals once again — in the clean and jerk and total combined event — giving herself a wonderful present for her 20th birthday, celebrated on May 8.
Anamjan Rustamova began practicing weightlifting in the Gurbansoltan Eje etrap of the Dashoguz velayat under her first coach, Deripbay Kerimbayev. She currently trains in the capital under the guidance of Meretguly Sakhetmyradov, head coach of the Turkmenistan women’s national team.
“For Turkmenistan, Anamjan’s current triumph is of special significance: the country continues strengthening its position in women’s weightlifting, and Rustamova’s success may become a stimulus for the development of youth sports and the attraction of new talents,” noted the popular sports resource “sportliga.com” in its commentary on the results of the 2026 World Junior Championships in the women’s 86 kg category.
The online publication believes that Anamjan Rustamova’s victory could become the starting point for her future career in senior weightlifting.
“In recent years, Turkmen female athletes have repeatedly made their mark at major international competitions, and this latest success confirms the correctness of the chosen path of development. For China and Armenia, traditionally strong nations in this sport, losing the battle for gold will provide additional motivation ahead of the next championship.
Rustamova and her rivals still have many competitions ahead, where the fight for leadership promises to be no less exciting. It will be especially interesting to follow the development of these young athletes ahead of future senior championships and Olympic Games,” emphasized the article by “sportliga.com”.
Turkmenistan was represented at the 2026 World Junior Championships by nine athletes — five women and four men.
In the final days of the competition, silver medalist of last year’s World Youth Championships (under 17) Islam Akmyradov placed ninth among 15 participants in the 94 kg category with a total of 325 kg (145 + 180). Suleyman Jafarov, competing in the 110 kg category, finished 11th among 17 athletes with 344 kg (157 + 187), while heavyweight Saparbay Atajanov (over 110 kg) finished ninth among 12 lifters with a total of 337 kg (155 + 182).
Last year, at the World Junior Championships in Lima, Peru, the Turkmenistan team finished 14th in the team standings with two gold medals. Those top awards in the clean and jerk (141 kg) and total combined event (249 kg) in the women’s 87 kg category were won by Anamjan Rustamova.
This time, the Turkmenistan national team finished in eighth place with 2 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze medal. Before Rustamova’s two gold medals, 17-year-old Didarbek Jumabayev, a 12th-grade student at the Olympic Secondary Sports School in the capital, had already won a silver medal in the clean and jerk and a bronze medal in the total combined event in the 79 kg category.
