Artyom Antropov of Kazakhstan secured a silver medal at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Jiangshan, China.
The 25-year-old Karaganda native, who claimed the world championship title in 2024 in the 102-kilogram weight category, lifted 386 kilograms (165 in the snatch and 221 in the clean and jerk). The gold medal went to 2023 world champion and Paris 2024 Olympian Liu Huanhua of China, who posted a combined 410 kilograms (180+230).
Notably, Antropov’s hypothetical gold-medal performance — 400 kilograms (170+230) — at the ongoing World Championships would not have been enough to top Liu’s performance.
Davranbek Hasanbayev of Turkmenistan finished third with 377 kilograms (182+195).
Antropov returned to competition last year before the World Championships in Manama, Bahrain, following a 16-month suspension. In May 2023, after winning silver at the Asian Championships, traces of a banned substance were found in his doping sample.
Antropov previously earned bronze at the Asian Championships in both 2021 and 2022. This year’s silver marks his best performance at the event. His medal is the second for Kazakhstan’s national team in Jiangshan. Earlier, Petr Khrebtov won bronze in the 73-kilogram weight class.
The 2025 Asian Weightlifting Championships, featuring 247 athletes from 26 countries, conclude on May 15.
