Salimi named Best Lifter of Year 2012

TEHRAN, Feb.2 (MNA) – Iran’s superheavyweight lifter Behdad Salimi was selected as the Best Lifter of the Year 2012 on Thursday.
Over 1,300 verified voters took part in the election, which was organized by the International Weightlifting Federation site.

“Honestly, it’s hard to believe. I owe the award to my people. I will work hard to win more gold medals in the next few years,” Salimi said.

Salimi won a gold medal in the London Olympics weightlifting competition with a total of 455kg from a 208kg lift in the snatch and a 247kg clean and jerk.

Ilya Ilyin of Kazakhstan received the second highest number of votes and Polish Adrian Zielinski finished in third.

In the women’s section, Zulfiya Chinshanlo of Kazakhstan was the winner, followed by her teammates Maiya Maneza and Svetlana Podobedova.