Irawan's father worked as a
paddle rickshaw driver, while his mother sold vegetables. Irawan took up weightlifting in 2000. At the 2007 Junior World Championships he won the gold medal in the 56 kg category, lifting 273 kg in total. At the
2008 Asian Championships he won the silver medal in the 62 kg category, lifting 305 kg in total. Irawan won the bronze medal in the
56 kg category at the
2008 Summer Olympics in
Beijing, lifting 288 kg in total. He won the silver medal in the
62 kg category at the
2009 World Weightlifting Championships, with 315 kg in total. He won the silver in the
men's 61 kg event at the
2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Irawan represented Indonesia in the 61 kg men's weightlifting at the
2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France after qualifying in the International Weightlifting World Cup in Phuket, Thailand last 3 April 2024. He aimed to become the first weightlifter in history to win five Olympic medals. Irawan had 135 kg in Snatch and placed second after the lift, but he failed three attempts to lift in Clean & Jerk. ==Major results==