THE SIDELINES : Soviet Wins 5th Weightlifting Title

ATHENS —  Anatoli Khrapaty of the Soviet Union won his fifth consecutive world title today, capturing the medium-heavy weight competition at the World Weightlifting Championships.

Khrapaty lifted a total of 913 pounds as the Soviets captured the top two medals in the 198-pound class. Sergei Syrtsov finished second with a total of 896 1/2 pounds.

Bulgaria’s Ivan Tchakarov lifted a total of 880 pounds and took third place.

Khrapaty, who also won the gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and Syrtsov worked together to keep the Bulgarian off balance, forcing him to higher weights from the outset of the competition to remain in contention.