Russia's Alexsey Lovchev shattered his personal best to set a world record in the clean & jerk and win the 105 kilo world title at the IWF World Weightlifting Championships on Saturday. Lovchev, who also set a world record in the weight class with a 475kg total, had a 16kg improvement from his second clean & jerk lift to his last to finish at a record 264kg.
The 26-year-old Lovchev had never lifted more than 257kg in training.
"I was thinking, 'This is impossible' as I had never tried that weight before," said Lovchev. "I'm overwhelmed.
"This shows that Russia is the strongest nation.
"I could never have done it without the support of my parents. My father is my coach and he introduced me to weightlifting. My mother passed away in 2012 and I dedicate this victory and the records to her."