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When it comes to drug abuse in Olympic lifting, some countries are more reckless than others. The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) relies on its partnership with the International Testing Agency (ITA) to categorize countries in a doping risk “tier list.”
- How It Works: In 2024, the IWF notified member federations that they “shall be categorised based on the doping risk to the sport and are required to fulfil specific anti-doping requirements … to compete at the World Championships.”
In June, the IWF and ITA published their list. The categories are:
- A: Athletes are subject to two yearly out-of-competition (OOC) tests without warning and must complete an additional anti-doping education program.
- B: Athletes are subject to one yearly OOC test and are strongly encouraged to complete said education program.
- C: No minimum OOC testing requirements for athletes (though they may still be conducted without warning), and athletes are strongly encouraged to complete the education program.
Topping the IWF’s doping risk totem pole: Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Georgia, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Turkmenistan, and many other of the world’s top performers, are among the 26 Category A federations.
An additional 32 federations land in Category B, including Brazil, Kazakhstan, Moldova, the Philippines, Turkey, and the United States.
134 feds occupy Category C, the least stringent.
One big thing: The IWF and ITA do not disclose how, or if, they rank federations within specific groups against each other.
- According to the ITA’s registry, Russia currently leads as the federation with 44 athletes serving active doping sanctions.
- Ukraine and Pakistan sit in second and third places behind Russia. They have 8 and 7 active ADRV sanctions, respectively.
2025 Pan-American Championships Preview
The 2025 Pan-American Weightlifting Championships (PAWC) start tomorrow and run until Jun. 18 in Cali, Colombia.
We won’t be streaming this one on WLHOUSE TV, but you can find daily results uploaded on our blog.
- Why It Matters: Besides the recent Oceania Senior Championships, the 2025 PAWC is the first major senior continental event where athletes are eligible to claim inaugural world records in the sport’s new weight classes.
What we’re seeing: Much like they did in 2022 when Worlds was held on their home turf in Bogotá, Team Colombia is pulling out all the stops for this year’s Pan-Ams.
Their roster consists of new and old competitors alike, including several athletes who, with the exception of the Bolivian Games in 2024, haven’t competed on an IWF stage in years.
Of the 226 entrants at Pan-Ams, Colombia and Venezuela are only teams to field 20 athletes. Team USA is bringing 15, fewer than usual; a USA Weightlifting spokesperson tells us an additional slot was available for a male competitor who declined his invitation.
The preliminary start list is out, but remember that it can and likely will change between now and Sunday. Here are some of the entrants we’re most excited for in Cali:
Francisco Mosquera (M65, COL): Francisco hasn’t competed internationally since Worlds in ‘23. At 33 years old, he leads the field with 305KG declared—10 ahead of Hampton Morris of Team USA.
Luis Cano (M71, COL): Cano, just 23, has only competed thrice in the IWF, but he’s made the podium every time. He tops the 71s with a 335KG entry total, 15 kilograms ahead of the second-placer.
Miranda Ulrey (W58, USA): Narrowly leads one of the most competitive Women’s divisions with a 221KG entry. In June, she totaled 217 at USA Weightlifting’s National Championships Week.
Yenny Sinisterra Torres (W63, COL): 25-year-old Torres has competed internationally a ridiculous 28 times in the last decade. She took a five-year hiatus between 2019 and 2024, where last year she made 227 at 64.
Julio Mayora (M79, VEN): Mayora will perform in a new, heavier weight class from his usual, but has only declared a 300KG entry total, possibly signaling an injury.
Caden Cahoy (M79, USA): Cahoy enters the fray with 345KG, tied for the highest total in his class. Caden recently clean & jerked 200KG at a Team USA training camp.
Olivia Reeves (W69, USA): “No Sleeves” Reeves made the first weight cut of her career to compete in the 69s. She leads with 250KG declared, but is only 5KG ahead of Colombia’s Julieth Rodriguez Quintero, who placed fifth at Worlds last year.
Yeison Lopez (M88, COL): One of the only men to threaten Karlos Nasar over the last quad (at least in the snatch), Yeison is playing it safe with a 370KG entry.
Mattie Rogers (W77, USA): Possibly the most decorated Pan-American competitor, Mattie’s 250KG entry ties for the lead with Darly Sanchez Perinan, who has never totaled more than 237KG internationally.
Wes Kitts (M94, USA): Kitts is back from his post-Olympics hiatus as well and has a 10-kilogram margin on the field with his 370KG entry total.
Matheus Pessanha (M110, BRA): This 19-year-old set a Junior world record in the clean & jerk just a few months ago before the weight classes changed. He’s not in the lead, but look for a jerk around the 220KG mark.
Kolbi Ferguson (M110, USA): Ferguson is Team USA’s next big thing. He leads the heavyweights with 381 and has told us he wants a very specific number in the clean & jerk (hint: if you’re an American, it’s the big five-hundo)
- Marifelix Ruiz (W+86, CUB): Leads the Women’s superheavies with 270, 10 above the fifth Team USA Olympian, Mary Theisen-Lappen. Ruiz, 20, is the 2024 Junior World Champion.
Pan-Ams start on Sunday, Jul. 13, at 7:00PM GMT, 3:00PM EST. You can find results on the Weightlifting Houseblog in the hours after.
