Hashemi finished on 404kg ahead of Arturs Plesnieks of Latvia, who lifted 402kg, and Uzbek Ivan Efremov  who had beaten Hashemi in September the last time they met  on 399kg.

Sohrab Moradi won the 94 kilograms on Sunday with two world records and Iran has a chance of sweeping all three heaviest weight categories when Salimi Kordasiabi and Saeed Alihosseini compete in the super-heavyweights on Tuesday.

In the day's other medal event Anastasiia Hotfrid became Georgia's first female medallist at the World Championships when she won the 90 kilograms class.

Hotfrid's total of 265kg was 10kg too good for silver medallist Maria Valdes of Chile, with Domincan Republic's Crismery Santana a further 1kg behind.

The 40-year-old Ecuadorian Oliba Nieve, who has six Pan American titles, was third in the snatch and fourth overall. She is 19 years older than Hotfrid.
--reuters--