TheWorld Weightlifting Championships is an internationalweightlifting competition, currently held annually (except for years of theSummer Olympic Games) by theInternational Weightlifting Federation (IWF). The predecessor organization of the IWF was founded in 1905,[1] but World Championship events began before its foundation. The first recognized World Championship event was held in 1891, and was won byEdward Lawrence Levy of England.[1][2][3]
Athletes today compete in a total of 16 weight categories (8 for men and 8 for women):
Men categories: 60 kg, 65 kg, 71 kg, 79 kg, 88 kg, 94 kg, 110 kg and +110 kg.
Women categories: 48 kg, 53 kg, 58 kg, 63 kg, 69 kg, 77 kg, 86 kg and +86 kg.
The weightlifting tournaments held duringSummer Olympics in 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980 and 1984 are counted as World Weightlifting Championships of the corresponding year.
The table shows those who have won at least 5 gold medals in total result. Boldface denotes active weightlifters and highest medal count among all weightlifters (including these who not included in these tables) per type.
^abAt the2021 World Championships, in accordance with a ban by theWorld Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and a decision by theCourt of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), weightlifters fromRussia were not permitted to use the Russian name, flag, or anthem. They instead participated under the name and the modified flag of the Russian Weightlifting Federation (RWF).
^abAt the2023 World Championships, in accordance with sanctions imposed following by the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, weightlifters fromBelarus were not permitted to use the name, flag, or anthem of Belarus. They instead participated as "Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN)", their medals were not included in the official medal table.