Muhammed Abdul Rahim Al Marri and Gaston Parage with the winners during the presentation ceremony.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The UAE athletes delivered a dominant performance by clinching 38 medals at the Asian Classic Powerlifting Championship.

With the participation of over 600 athletes from 29 Asian countries, the Asian Classic Powerlifting Championship, organised by the Emirates Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (EBBF) in cooperation with the Asian Powerlifting Federation, was held at the Dubai Club for People of Determination.

The Emiratis bagged 16 gold, eight silvers, and 14 bronze medals and also broke Asian records in 10 deadlift events.

The winners were honoured during a ceremony in the presence of Abdullah Bin Haider, vice president of the Emirates Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation; Muhammed Abdul Rahim Al Marri, secretary general of the Emirates Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation and chairman of the organizing committee; Farshid Soltani, president of the Asian Powerlifting Federation, and Gaston Parage, president of the International Powerlifting Federation.

Marri revealed that the Asian Powerlifting Federation Technical Committee gave full marks to the UAE for organizing the event perfectly.

He stressed that the success reflects the preparations that preceded the start of the competitions and the great cooperation shown by the Dubai Club for People of Determination, which led to success in the Asian Classic Powerlifting Championship.

 Rachida Moumen receives a medal from Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hamad Bin Saif Al Sharqi, President of the Emirates Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation.

UAE’s Aisha Hassan Al Suwaidi took the gold medal in the bench press and two bronzes in the squat and deadlift in the 84-kilogram masters category, respectively.

UAE resident Rachida Moumen clinched gold in the +63 kg Master 1 category and smashed three Asian records.

Rachida also bagged top spots in the squat, bench press, and deadlift categories of the championship and broke the Asian records en route to winning a total of four gold medals.

"Thank you, God, for this opportunity to be a member of the UAE powerlifting national team; I am very happy and proud to represent the UAE in the Asian powerlifting championships, and if God allows, I hope to represent the UAE in the World Powerlifting Masters Championships," said the elated Rachida.

Rachida received the medal from Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hamad Bin Saif Al Sharqi, President of the Emirates Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation.

The UAE national team players succeeded in continuing excellence and achieving impressive results in various categories and weight classes by winning the most number of gold medals.

Singapore won first place in the women's category; Kazakhstan won first place in the young women's category; India took top honours in the junior women's category; Singapore and Japan shared prizes for the best lifts; Hong Kong won first place in the Masters. UAE finished second in the Masters category.

In the men's competition, Iran came in first, followed by Kazakhstan and China. Singapore and Japan shared the top spot in the youth category, and in juniors, Kazakhstan and Iraq finished on top.

The members of the UAE national team, technical staff, and administrative staff thanked the Emirates Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation, headed by Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hamad Bin Saif Al Sharqi, for giving them the opportunity to participate in the tournament and providing a platform to achieve accomplishments.

Haider expressed delight over the success of the championship and congratulated the winners.

"The organization of the tournament was successful and was characterized by achieving many important gains," he said.

Parage praised the hosts, the Emirates Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation and Dubai, for organizing an event of such stature.

"Parage’s positive comments give us enough confidence for future events, and it also demonstrates the strength of the competition and the growth of this exciting spectator sport in the UAE.

"This achievement is a distinctive addition to the women's team’s superb performance with fitness and physical strength in Asia and the world, which is witnessing a distinctive qualitative leap," Haider added.