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Junior Worlds wound up with surprising team result

Mercedes Perez (227kg in 63kg) of Colombia was chosen to receive the ELEIKO-IWF Press Commission’s Best Female Lifter Trophy of this year’s edition of Junior World Championships, held in Prague. Perez helped her team of seven members to gold medals and to becoming winner of the team ranking over China, which brought only six lifters to the Czech capital. In the 69kg, another Colombian, Leidi Yessenia Solis took the honours in total. Hripsime Khurshudyan of Armenia excelled in the 75kg, while the always-crucial +75kg overall title was captured by Chinese Huang Huan, just one kilo over Kazakhstan’s Mariya Grabovetskaya (278 against 277kg).

In the men’s field, Russian athletes (8) excelled, winning the team classification, however, in the Medal Table China (with only 7 lifters) stands at the top with 7 gold medals. In the categories of 85kg to 105kg, Russian, Ukrainian and Belarus athletes took turns on the medal podium, while the "most cherished" gold medals, those in the +105kg, were captured by Alberto Pupo of Cuba – though with a moderate result only.

The final attendance of the 2007 Junior World Championships came to 280 (100 women, 180 men), of which the IWF subjected 38.5% to anti-doping controls. The Czech Federation should be thanked for hosting the Championships in beautiful and historic Prague.