Sara Ahmed of Egypt, an Olympic, world and Youth Olympic medalist, and Armenia’s Andranik Karapetyan, a 2015 world medalist, won the Friendship Cup with a two-athlete Sinclair total of 700.913.

Armenian Gor Minasyan, a four-time world medalist and the men’s super heavyweight Olympic silver medalist in 2016, combined with American Madeline Staniszewski for second place – her first international result – with 684.966 points, while another U.S. woman, 2021 Pan American bronze medalist Maddison Pannell, was third with Tongan Joshua Uikilifi after a combined 660.657.

Armenia sent five men to the Friendship Cup, while the U.S. entered four women. Egypt and Tonga each had two athletes at the event’s debut. Botswana, Kenya and Uganda had one athlete apiece.

All four of the U.S. women who took part in the Friendship Cup also leave Las Vegas with medals from the USA Weightlifting National Championships. They are 55kg national champion Pannell, 87kg gold medalist Laura Alexander, 64kg clean & jerk silver medalist Staniszewski and 76kg snatch silver medalist Allee Tallman.

Kuinini Manumua, a 2020 Olympian for Tonga who holds dual citizenship, won the women’s +87kg title at the National U25 Championships and placed fourth in the Friendship Cup with Armenia’s Samvel Gasparyan, the 2021 European champion at 102kg.

USA Weightlifting intends to hold the Friendship Cup annually, with the potential for the 2023 edition to take place in conjunction with the Arnold Sports Festival.

2022 USA Weightlifting Friendship Cup results:

Gold: Sara Ahmed (EGY), 297.088 / Andranik Karapetyan (ARM), 403.825 = 700.913
Silver: Madeline Staniszewski (USA), 262.387 / Gor Minasyan (ARM), 422.579 = 684.966
Bronze: Maddison Pannell (USA), 281.701 / Joshua Uikilifi (TON), 378.956 = 660.657
4) Kuinini Manumua (TON), 244.547 / Samvel Gasparyan (ARM), 406.149 = 650.696
5) Lorraine Ligare (KEN), 180.020 / Varazdat Lalayan (ARM), 423.999 = 604.019
6) Laura Alexander (USA), 271.935 / Hakim Musoke Ssempereza (UGA), 315.335 = 587.21
7) Samar Hussein (EGY), 267.102 / Kgotla Alphius Kgaswane (BOT), 262.327 = 529.429
8) Allee Tallman (USA), 0.000 / Davit Hovhannisyan (ARM), 399.008 = 399.008

USA Weightlifting Successfully Debuts Friendship Cup During National Championships

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