TEHRAN – Iranian weightlifter Sohrab Moradi has started his training in Hanover, Germany to prepare for the 49th Challenge “210”.

The competition will be held in Tramelan, Switzerland from October 24 to 27.

This competition is a bronze tier qualifying event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and acts as one of the six necessary competitions that can fulfill qualification.

The new system of Olympic Qualification requires weightlifters to compete on six occasions in the 18-month qualification period, which kicked off on Nov. 1, 2018 and runs through April 30, 2020.

2016 Rio Olympic gold medalist Kianoush Rostami (96kg) and 2017 Weightlifting World Championships silver medalist, Saeid Alihosseini (+109kg), have been left off Iran’s weightlifting team for the 49th Challenge “210”.

Moradi, Rio 2016 gold medalist, underwent shoulder surgery in Germany in August. He missed the 2019 Weightlifting World Championships in Pattaya, Thailand in September due to lack of preparation.

Moradi broke weightlifting's longest standing world record on his way to gold in the men's 94kg class at the 2018 Asian Games.

He lifted 189kg in the opening discipline to better the snatch record set at 188kg in 1999 by Greece's Akakios Kakiasvilis.

Moradi has won World Championships two times at the 2017 Anaheim and 2018 Ashgabat.

He also won Asian Championships twice in 2009 Taldykorgan and 2012 Pyeongtaek.

Moradi claimed a gold medal in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.