Egypt’s Mohamed Ihab Youssef Ahmed Mahmoud claimed a clean sweep of the men’s 77 kilograms titles on day five of the 2017 IWF World Championships ©IWF

Egypt’s Mohamed Ihab Youssef Ahmed Mahmoud claimed a clean sweep of the men’s 77 kilograms titles on day five of the 2017 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships here as Harrison Maurus ended the United States’ long wait for a male medallist on the global stage.

Mahmoud won the snatch with 165kg and the clean and jerk with 196kg for an unrivalled total of 361kg.

Turkmenistan’s Rejepbay Rejepov finished second overall with 352kg having secured the silver medal in the snatch with 158kg and the clean and jerk with 194kg.

But all eyes were on bronze medallist Maurus at the end of the competition after he became the first American man to win a medal at the Senior World Championships since 1997, when Wes Barnett finished third in the now defunct 108kg class in 1997.

The 17-year-old finished fifth in the snatch with 155kg before making history with his third-place finishes in the clean and jerk with 193kg and overall with 348kg.

"It's not only cool to get the medals, but to get into the history books," Maurus, who skipped his third clean and jerk attempt due to a leg cramp, said.

"It gives other athletes something to strive for.

Maurus’ best clean and jerk lift bettered his own youth world record, which he set when he won the 2017 Youth World Championships in Thailand’s capital Bangkok.

The men’s 77kg snatch bronze medallist was Romania’s Dumitru Captari, who posted 156kg in yesterday’s B session before bombing out in the clean and jerk.

Egypt's Mohamed Ihab Youssef Ahmed Mahmoud was in dominant form throughout the men's 77kg event ©IWF
Egypt's Mohamed Ihab Youssef Ahmed Mahmoud was in dominant form throughout the men's 77kg event ©IWF

In the women’s 69kg event, Colombia’s Leidy Yessenia Solis Arboleda came out on top with a total of 239kg.

She finished fourth in the snatch with 104kg and second in the clean and jerk with 135kg.

The overall silver medallist was Albania’s Romela Begaj with 235kg after she won the snatch with 107kg and came fifth in the clean and jerk with 128kg.

Rounding out the overall podium was the United States’ Mattie Rogers with 235kg.

The 22-year-old also claimed the bronze medals in the snatch with 104kg and the clean and jerk with 131kg.

Rogers ended a 12-year US women’s medal drought at the World Championships.

The last woman to finish on a podium at a World Championship, Cheryl Hayworth, was in the audience for her session.

Colombia’s Leidy Yessenia Solis Arboleda came out on top in the women's 69kg event ©IWF
Colombia’s Leidy Yessenia Solis Arboleda came out on top in the women's 69kg event ©IWF

"It’s an absolute thrill for me to be present for Mattie’s incredible performance," Hayworth, who won over 75kg clean and jerk and overall bronze medals in 2005, said.

"USA Weightlifting should be enormously proud, as I am, for being represented at this world championships by such a strong, tough and determined bunch of athletes."

The silver medallist in the women’s 69kg snatch was Colombia’s Miyareth Mendoza Carabali with 106kg.

Action in Anaheim is due to continue tomorrow.