Kianoush Rostami

Kianoush Rostami
Kianoush Rostami with gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Native nameکیانوش رستمی
NationalityIranian
Born (1991-07-23) 23 July 1991
Kermanshah, Iran
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) (2016)
Weight89 kg (196 lb) (2021)
Sport
Country Iran (until 2025)
 Kosovo (from 2025)
SportWeightlifting
Event–89 kg
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
  • Snatch: 179 kg (2016)
  • Clean and jerk: 225 kg (2019)
  • Total: 403 kg (2019)
Medal record
Men's weightlifting
Representing  Iran
Olympic Games
2016 Rio de Janeiro 85 kg
2012 London 85 kg
World Championships
2011 Paris 85 kg
2014 Almaty 85 kg
2015 Houston 85 kg
Asian Games
2014 Incheon 85 kg
Asian Championships
2020 Tashkent 89 kg
2011 Tongling 85 kg
2012 Pyeongtaek 85 kg
World Junior Championships
2010 Sofia 85 kg
2011 Penang 85 kg

Kianoush Rostami (Persian: کیانوش رستمی, born 23 July 1991) is an Iranian-born naturalized Kosovan olympian weightlifter. He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics, in the 85 kg event, winning the gold medal and setting a new world record with a total lift of 396 kilograms.[1]

Rostami won the silver medal at the London 2012 Summer Olympics. He originally took home the bronze medal, which ascended to a silver medal when Apti Aukhadov tested positive for dehydrochloromethyltestosterone from samples taken in 2012.

Despite having the third highest total at 96 kg in Olympic qualifying, Rostami failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games, as he sat 31st in the ROBI point rankings because he scored zero points in the second qualification period (1 May 2019 to 31 October 2019) of the 2020 Olympics after missing all three lifts in the snatch portion of the 2019 World Weightlifting Championships.

In March 2025, Rostami received Kosovo citizenship and in July 2025 he will gain the right to represent Kosovo.[2]

Career

Rostami won the gold medal in the Men's 85 kg weight class at the 2011 World Weightlifting Championships.

Rostami won the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the men's 85 kg event with a total of 380 kg. In June 2016, it was announced his silver medal ascendancy after Apti Aukhadov had tested positive for prohibited substances and therefore disqualified for a medal.[3][4]

In 2016, while competing at the Fajr Cup, in Tehran, Iran, Kianoush broke the Clean and jerk world record for his weight division, lifting 220 kg. Kianoush also broke the world record for his total, with 395 kg.[5]

Kianoush Rostami competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics, representing Iran in the 85 kg weight division.[6] He won the gold medal in the 85 kg weight class at the 2016 Summer Olympics by tying an Olympic record with a 217 kg clean and jerk – set by Tian Tao just minutes prior – and setting a world record total with 396 kg.[7]

Major results

Year Venue Weight Snatch (kg) Clean & Jerk (kg) Total Rank
1 2 3 Rank 1 2 3 Rank
Olympic Games
2012 London, United Kingdom 85 kg 171 174 174 4 209 214 214 3 380
2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 85 kg 174 179 182 1 215 215 217 1 396
World Championships
2010 Antalya, Turkey 77 kg 161 165 165 193 198 198 5 354 4
2011 Paris, France 85 kg 169 173 176 209 219 219 382
2014 Almaty, Kazakhstan 85 kg 173 176 178 211 212 213 391
2015 Houston, United States 85 kg 173 178 178 214 218 219 387
2017 Anaheim, United States 85 kg 170 174 174 212 212 215 -- -- --
2019 Pattaya, Thailand 96 kg 180 180 180 -- -- -- -- -- -- --
2022 Bogotá, Colombia 89 kg 170 174 174 206 212 212 5 380 4
Asian Games
2010 Guangzhou, China 85 kg 159 162 165 5 200 205 205 6 365 6
2014 Incheon, South Korea 85 kg 166 166 172 1 208 212 212 2 380
2018 Jakarta, Indonesia 94 kg 175 175 185 2 218 220 220 -- -- --
Asian Championships
2008 Kanazawa, Japan 69 kg 126 131 133 10 -- -- -- -- -- --
2011 Tongling, China 85 kg 157 162 166 193 198 201 363
2012 Pyeongtaek, South Korea 85 kg 168 172 175 201 211 216 383
2021 Tashkent, Uzbekistan 89 kg 167 176 176 206 206 216 373
2023 Jinju, South Korea 89 kg 165 172 172 4 186 207 207 11 351 8
Fajr Cup
2016 Tehran, Iran 85 kg 170 175 -- 210 220 -- 395
2019 Tehran, Iran 96 kg 161 172 -- 200 210 220 392
2020 Rasht, Iran 96 kg 175 175 177 -- 215 225 -- -- --
Qatar Cup
2019 Doha, Qatar 96 kg 172 177 178 210 220 225 403
World Junior Championships
2010 Sofia, Bulgaria 85 kg 152 157 160 182 187 187 347
2011 Penang, Malaysia 85 kg 162 168 171 204 204 210 378

References

  1. ^ "STRENGTH RECORD, Weightlifting World Records". www.strengthrecord.com. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  2. ^ "Olympic champion from Iran to compete for Kosovo". Koha Ditore. 16 March 2025.
  3. ^ "London 2012: Four Olympic weightlifting champions test positive". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  4. ^ "Iran's Rostami awarded 2012 Olympic Games silver medal". tehrantimes.com. 17 June 2016.
  5. ^ "First International Fajr Cup, IWF Grand Prix | Rio Olympic Games Qualification Event" (PDF). www.iwf.net. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  6. ^ "Rostami Kianoush". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  7. ^ "Weightlifting: Men's 85kg". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016.