Iran's Reza Zadeh Sets Weightlifting Mark

WARSAW, Poland (AP) - Hossein Reza Zadeh of Iran set a world record Tuesday by lifting 580 pounds in the clean and jerk, helping him win the gold medal in the over-231-pound division at the World Weightlifting Championships.

Reza Zadeh bettered the 1998 clean and jerk world standard of 579 pounds. He snatched 463 and won the gold with a total of 1,042, equaling his own world record from the Sydney Olympics.

"I wanted to beat the world record last month at the Asian Games, but I failed," he said. "I am happy I seized on my good form and achieved it here in Warsaw."

The silver medal went to Bulgaria's Damian Damianov, who snatched 452 pounds and lifted 540 in the clean and jerk for a total of 992.

Damianov used only two attempts in each category.

"The competition did not call for three attempts and Reza Zadeh was beyond my reach anyway," he said.

Third went to Artiom Udakhin of Ukraine with a snatch of 441 pounds, a clean and jerk of 529 and a total of 970.