Turkey’s Karagöz wins bronze medal at worlds

Turkey won its first medals at the World Weightlifting Championships with two bronze medals from Nurdan Karagöz on Nov. 5 in France.

Karagöz, competing in women’s 48 kilograms, won a bronze medal in clean and jerk and in total categories.

Karagöz lifted 76 and 80 kg in her two attempts in snatch, and lifted 103 kg in the clean and jerk category. Her Thai and Polish opponents lifted the same weights as Karagöz, but the Turk won by her being a slightly lesser weight.

China’s Tian Yuan was the first in the division, while Thai Panida Khamsri won silver in clean and jerk and total categories. Italian Genny Pagliaro won the silver for snatch.

Tian snatched 90 pounds and clean and jerked 117 for a winning combined total of 207. Khamsri finished second at 187 and Karagöz was third at 183.

Marzena Karpinska of Poland won the bronze with 82 kilograms snatch.

Karagöz’s success proved consolation for Turkey, who suffered the shock of withdrawal by former Olympic champion Nurcan Taylan from the tournament.

Taylan, Turkey’s biggest medal hope, has withdrawn from the tournament on Nov. 4 due to a knee injury according to a statement from the Turkish Weightlifting Federation (THF), but Turkish media claimed she had a rift with the sport’s national administration.

The THF refused to work with a coach, who was favored by Taylan, reported HaberTürk, adding that she chose to skip the world championships after the incident.

Two men’s weightlifters, İzzet İnce and Bünyamin Sudaş, also withdrew from the tournament, slimming Turkey’s chances of medals.

Compiled from AA and AP stories by the Daily News staff.