Iranian Olympic weightlifter says setting new record will be tough

TEHRAN,July 11(MNA) – Iran’s super heavyweight weightlifter Behdad Salimi said that setting a new record will be difficult in the London 2012 Olympic Games. Salimi won the gold medal in the +105kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships in Paris last year. He hoisted 214kg in snatch, bettering his countryman Hossein Rezazadeh’s record by one kilogram. Salimi lifted 250kg in the clean and jerk and won the gold medal with a total of 464kg. “I could break the record but I suffer from pain in my knee. It’s so hard to set a new record in the Olympics. I’ll make every effort to ensure a good performance in the games,” Salimi said. “Matthias Steiner from Germany is my main opponent in the London Games. He won gold in the Beijing 2008 Games, however he has had surgery on his knee and is not in shape,” the 23-year-old added. “I am under pressure because the people and officials expect me to win the gold medal in Olympics,” he concluded.