There's very little left until one of the strong cards of national weightlifting can once again showcase his abilities to the world. Arley Méndez He has been preparing to achieve the necessary performances since announcing his return last January, all in order to compete at the elite level again. The next challenge is the World of IWF Weightlifting of Saudi Arabia .
For this reason Arley is already in Riyadh And his preparation has been intense. “I feel good, very motivated. This is my first international competition since my retirement. I feel good, I have good vibes, good feelings. I want to give my best and finish in the top eight and qualify for the next Olympic Games. From here, I want to go all out for the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games,” the Cuban-Chilean says from the capital of Saudi Arabia.
Although the World Championships begin on September 4th, his presentation will take place on the 11th. He's already been preparing for that. "I'm training on the competitive side now, on the snatch and clean and jerk, emphasizing the first attempt at each discipline to get into the competition by increasing the weights. We've lowered the training loads and increased them for specific lifts. Also, we've worked on mobility and stretching, especially in the hips. I struggle a bit with those movements in the splits; my muscles are a little tight there, and I've focused on that," he says.
Méndez sees this opportunity as a reboot and a chance to build on some of his success, recalling the gold medal he won at the 2017 World Championships. “The previous Arley was younger, with incredible strength. Now I realize I have more experience; I know how to compete at a high level. I'm no longer affected by nerves before a race; I have the experience and I know how to handle the pre-start, handling the pressure better. When it comes to times, I feel almost the same as before, not as fast, slower, a little more untechnical. I'm 29 now, and that makes a difference,” he says, aware of his current abilities.
In support of our ambassador, ILUS Fitness decided to renew his contract with Arley and extend it until 2024. This news fills him with joy: “(I'm) incredibly happy. I don't know if you remember that I was training for the national championship; I needed Olympic weights. They were the first to trust me; they gave me training equipment that helped me a lot. They gave me opportunities to train; before, I didn't have any way to do that,” he said.
The weightlifter trained with ILUS this year, and he'll continue to use some of our equipment in his upcoming training sessions. Arley believes this union adds strength and passion. "I'm very happy that we were able to renew our contract until 2024. From here, I send a big hug to the entire team and hope to see you soon. I love you."
He World of Weightlifting of Riyadh It is a key competition for the planet's weightlifters, since the tournament is a qualifier for the next Olympics of Paris 2024. Of the 719 participants, four are Spanish: Katherine Landeros (49 kg category) will be the first to compete on September 4th. On Saturday the 9th it will be her turn in her group of Sergio Cares (cat. 73 kg). Our ambassador Arley Méndez (category 89 kg) will have international action next Monday 11th, while María Fernanda Valdés (category 87 kg) will be the last Chilean to appear next Friday, September 15.
