by sportswriters Yang Boyi and Yu Sihui
NINGBO, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Bulgaria's Karlos Nasar had just lifted 230kg, secured a third world record of the night and wrapped up gold in the men's 95kg at the weightlifting world championships here on Wednesday, when he added one final flourish: a fishing-themed celebration.
The gesture was a playful response to critics who had doubted his chances before the competition. Nasar said some social media users had suggested he was finished as a contender. His response after sweeping the world records was simple: "I'm going fishing."
Footage of the celebration began circulating on social media soon after, drawing reactions from around the world. On Instagram, one fan was sure what they had seen: the celebration, the fan commented, "was a Tian Tao tribute."
Nasar had every reason to celebrate. The 2024 Olympic champion, who has moved up from 89kg, went 185kg in the snatch and 230kg in the clean and jerk for a 415kg total that swept all three world records, finishing 16kg clear of Kazakhstan's Nurgissa Adiletuly, who took silver with 399kg. Iran's Ali Alipour, the 2026 Asian Games champion, settled for bronze with 396kg.
Fishing, of course, is the last thing that comes to mind when the world's strongest men gather. Yet for weightlifters, the rod and the platform share more than it seems: both demand stillness, patience and one explosive moment.
In China, no one embodies that contradiction better than Shi Zhiyong, the two-time Olympic champion. When Shi retired at last year's 15th National Games of China, he did not have a fishing rod with him.
Winning a third straight national title at 73kg, the 32-year-old kissed the barbell and walked away from the platform after 22 years. Asked what came next, he laughed: "I want to go fishing," though it was a pity, he said, that he had not brought his rod to Dongguan.
He knows the pleasure well. At the Paris Olympics in 2024, a back injury cost him a shot at a third straight Olympic gold, leaving him without a total after three failed clean-and-jerk attempts.
But Shi had brought his fishing equipment to France and headed to a local river after the Games. His biggest catch to date, he said, weighed 16kg.
Tian Tao, another Chinese weightlifter who has fished alongside Shi Zhiyong in their own competitions away from the platform, knows exactly why the comparison made sense.
For Nasar, the celebration carried a promise. "This is love. I like this," he said of the Ningbo crowd that mobbed him for photos. "This is my motivation." Three world records now belong to him; the fish, he hopes, will be next.
Ningbo was the first stop on the road to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. If his celebration is anything to go by, there may be more fishing breaks along the way. ■
