Many of the strongest weightlifters in the world are gathered in Paris, France, for the 2024 Olympics — but not Kazakh weightlifter Alexey Churkin. Yet Churkin, 20, may just be one of the strongest 73-kilogram weightlifters on the planet. 

On Saturday, Jul. 27, 2024, Churkin posted a video to his personal Instagram account of what appears to be an unofficial world record in the snatch; 170 kilograms, or 374.7 pounds.

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If accurate, Churkin’s 1-rep-max snatch would be an unofficial world record by a one-kilogram margin above that of two-time Olympic Champion Shi Zhiyong of Team China.

Why Is This an Unofficial World Record? 

Churkin is a 73-kilogram weightlifter who last competed in an International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) event in May 2023. In July of that year, BarBend correspondent Brian Oliver reported that Churkin was among a number of Kazakh weightlifters who were found to have violated IWF anti-doping policy. 

At the time of this article’s publication, Churkin does not appear on the IWF’s list of athletes who have committed anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs).

However, it was reported in Kazakh media on Jul. 10 that Churkin was among seven other Kazakh athletes to be banned in 2024.

Kazakhstan does not have any weightlifters on their Paris 2024 Olympic team. 

It appears that the Kazakh weightlifting team is indeed prohibited from participating in the 2024 Olympics. Regardless, Churkin’s 170-kilogram snatch indicates the Kazakh team is not taking it easy with the barbell this summer.

Churkin did not specify when exactly he hit this snatch, saying only on social media, “the push is going well…” He has since aged out of the Junior division, where the existing snatch record stands at 157 kilograms from Indonesian athlete Rizki Juniansyah. 

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All told, 170 kilograms in the 73-kilogram category is an extraordinarily heavy lift and one that rivals the strength of Team China, a country that has historically dominated the middleweight divisions of competitive Olympic lifting. 

You won’t see Churkin at the 2024 Olympics this August. That said, should he find his way back to the IWF platform — and can maintain or even improve upon this level of strength — Churkin is a serious contender for Senior world records in the coming years. 

The Men’s 73-kilogram event at the 2024 Olympics takes place on Aug. 8, 2024 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. 

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Featured Image: @strong_weightlifting / Instagram

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