This day, with two non-Olympic categories, could have been a damp squib but it proved to be anything but, with two very entertaining A groups.
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This A group was unusual so far in this World Championships by not having any Chinese lifters in it, most likely because the non-Olympic status of the category. It was also the first real chance for the USA to claim medals, with Katherine Nye and Matty Rogers both writing in openers that looked like only Kim Hyo Sim (PRK) would be up against them for gold.
Seyedehelham Hosseini (IRI) was notable for being the first Iranian women to appear in an A group at the world championships.
Outside of the three athletes with the biggest openers, Emily Godley (GBR) hit a 100 snatch and Anastasiia Anzorova (RUS) got 99 to position themselves well if the frontrunners slipped up. Anzorova got 102 overhead but it was overturned by the jury for a press-out.
Matty Rogers (USA) was the first to claim a medal, with her 103 opener. Kim Hyo Sim (PRK) took 106 to overtake her. Katherine Nye (USA) tried the same weight but missed it, dropping it behind.
Rogers sensed an opportunity and took 106 on her second attempt, hitting it confidently to stake her claim to the silver medal. However, Nye had other ideas, hitting 107 to move ahead. A miss from Rogers at 108 took the pressure off Nye’s third attempt.
Kim Hyo Sim (PRK) watched the USA lifters duke it out and then took 110 for her second attempt, hitting it to force Bye to take at least 111 on her third attempt to have a chance of gold. She pushed to 112 for an attempt at the junior world record snatch. She absolutely nailed it, putting the pressure back on the Korean.
Kim, apparently suffering from a foot injury, came out for 113 but couldn’t get it overhead, meaning that the Katherine Nye (USA) took the snatch gold.
The two snatch medals for the USA meant that there would be two USA lifters on a world podium for the first time in twenty-five years.
On clean and jerks, it quickly became apparent that Kim Hyo Sim’s injury was continuing to cause her problems. She opened light (for her) at 120, missed 125 and then declined her third attempt. That left the way clear for the USA lifters to have a battle between themselves for gold and silver medals and for someone else to challenge for the podium.
It was Emily Godley (GBR) who stepped up from the pack to hit 124 and 126 to claim a clean and jerk medal. She even had a shot at 131 for a total medal. No British lifter has won a world medal since 1994, so this was a huge achievement for Emily.
That left the two USA lifters to decide which medal would go where. Matty Rogers hit 130 and 134 but missed 137. This was Kate Nye’s day though. She hit 131 and 136 to claim gold, before trying 141 for a junior total world record. She couldn’t take the record but was clearly delighted to finish as world champion.
Medals
| Snatch | Clean and Jerk | Total | |
| Gold | Katherine Nye (USA) – 112 | Katherine Nye (USA) – 136 | Katherine Nye (USA) – 248 |
| Silver | Kim Hyo Sim (PRK) – 110 | Matty Rogers (USA) – 134 | Matty Rogers (USA) – 240 |
| Bronze | Matty Rogers (USA) – 106 | Emily Godley (GBR) – 126 | Kim Hyo Sim (PRK) – 230 |
New Records
Junior world record snatch – Katherine Nye (USA) – 112
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This might not be an Olympic category but it was a very entertaining, close A group, with most of the athletes opening within a few kilos of each other and every lift counting in the battle for the medals.
In the snatch, Safaa Aljumaili (IRQ) withdrew from the competition with a suspected back injury after timing out twice.
Keydomar Vallenilla Sanchez (VEN) hit a world junior snatch record with 169 on his final attempt. It was also enough for a snatch bronze.
Revaz Davitadze (GEO) used all of the platform, ending up with his toes overhanging the edge of the platform. However, he held on and completed the lift to take the snatch gold.
Clean and jerks were even closer than snatches, with all of the remaining lifters opening between 190 and 200. With such a packed field, every lift was vital.
Most lifters made their openers but around the 200 mark, missed lifts started to take lifters out of contention. Denis Ulanov (KAZ) finished on 195, a long way below the 215 he made at the 2016 Olympic Games.
Revaz Davitadze (GEO) hit 199 but missed 203 on his second attempt and appeared to have hurt his leg. He missed his third attempt to, leaving him with a slender lead in the total but with several competitors still lifting.
Aliaksandr Bersanau (BLR) got 205 overhead but just couldn’t stabilise himself and dropped the weight before getting the down signal.
Ali Miri (IRI) was no-lifted on 207 but successfully challenged the decision and saw it overturned by the jury through use of the video playback technology. That moved him into gold position on total but still a kilo behind Toshiki Yamamoto (JPN) from the B group on clean and jerk. His third attempt at 210 was a deadlift, leaving the Japanese lifter in clean and jerk gold medal position, which he maintained when Hakob Mkrtchyan (ARM) declined his third attempt, happy to have the total gold.
The final results saw the medals being shared between six different athletes, including one from the B group, an indication of how tight the category was.
Medals
| Snatch | Clean and Jerk | Total | |
| Gold | Revaz Davitadze (GEO) – 172 | Toshiki Yamamoto (JPN) – 208 | Hakob Mkrtchyan (ARM) – 375 |
| Silver | Aliaksandr Bersanau (BLR) – 169 | Hakob Mkrtchyan (ARM) – 167 | Ali Miri (IRI) – 374 |
| Bronze | Keydomar Vallenilla Sanchez (VEN) – 169 | Ali Miri (IRI) – 207 | Revaz Davitadze (GEO) – 371 |
New Records
- Junior world snatch record – Keydomar Vallenilla Sanchez (VEN) – 169
Latest Medal Table
| Gold | Silver | Bronze | ||
| 1 | China | 20 | 11 | 5 |
| 2 | DPR Korea | 5 | 8 | 5 |
| 3 | USA | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 4 | Turkey | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | Chinese TaiPei | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | Armenia | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | India | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Japan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Georgia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Iran | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 11 | Cuba | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 12 | Indonesia | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 13 | Bulgaria | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 14 | Colombia | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 15 | Vietnam | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 16 | Kazakhstan | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Belarus | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | Saudi Arabia | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 19 | Uzbekistan | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 20 | Philipines | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 21 | Romania | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 22 | Albania | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 23 | Great Britain | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 24 | Venezuela | 0 | 0 | 1 |