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A superb final lift by Ri Chong Song and a multiple world record show by his female team-mate Ri Suk helped PRK to continue its remarkable winning run at the 2024 World Championships in Bahrain, where all 10 titles in the first half of the competition have been won by Asian athletes.

PRK has won all eight medal events since Saturday, and claimed world records from three Olympic champions in the past two days. Seven senior world records have fallen to PRK’s winners in that unbeaten run.

Two more Olympic champions, Olivia Reeves from the United States and Karlos Nasar from Bulgaria, will have a chance to end PRK’s dominance, and Asia’s 100 per cent record, when they both lift on Wednesday.

Ri Chong Song (PRK)

Ri Chong Song won the men’s 81kg in a gripping finish, denying 20-year-old Alexey Churkin from Kazakhstan, who made all six lifts.

In the women’s 64kg session three hours later Ri Suk led a 1-2 finish for PRK and claimed the world record from China’s Deng Wei, who is now retired and expecting her first child. Ri Suk, 21, also bettered her own clean and jerk mark as she set four world records within three minutes in her final two lifts.

Second-placed Rim Un Sim, who led at halfway, also went for world record attempts on her last two lifts but failed both times on 147kg and 148kg. Rim, 27, made 116-140-256, which was 2kg below her best, while Ri Suk’s six-from-six 115-149-264 was a career high by 4kg. China’s teenaged debutant Li Shuang was third across the board on 107-134-241.

Ri Suk (PRK)

An Asian win at 81kg was assured when last year’s winner Oscar Reyes from Italy withdrew during the warm-up because of a back injury. All eight lifters in the A Group were Asian, as was the man who topped the B Group – multiple world record holder Rahmat Erwin from Indonesia, whose preparations were badly hampered by injury.

Ri Chong Song, 27, was pushed very hard. He won snatch gold by 1kg ahead of Mukhammadkodir Toshtemirov from Turkmenistan, who was third on total on 165-190-355. Ri Chong Song did not even clean his first attempt in clean and jerk and, with his knees heavily strapped, he looked in trouble.

Churkin did not. In his first competition at this weight after moving up from 73kg, he made 164-204-368. When he finished he was ahead by 3kg.

Alexey Churkin (KAZ)

After Ri Chong Song missed that first attempt, he got the second only after a jury review, the referees having deemed it a no-lift by majority. There was no doubt about his winning lift, nor about his pride as he sang the PRK anthem with gusto after the medal presentations. He made 166-205-371.

Son Hyeonho from Korea, fourth overall, won clean and jerk bronze on 197kg.

A year that had started so well for Rahmat ended disappointingly. When he won the Asian title in Uzbekistan back in February with a total of 363kg, he was clear at the top of the Olympic qualifying rankings and hot favourite for gold in Paris.

Rahmat Erwin (INA)

His team-mate Rizki Juniansyah knocked him out of Paris at the IWF World Cup in April, and there was never going to be a world title to end the year when Rahmat injured his lower back several weeks ago.

“I haven’t been training in Indonesia. My only preparation was four sessions here,” he said as he stretched out to ease the pain afterwards. He made his lowest ever total at 81kg on 154-193-347, which was 16kg down on the total he made at 73kg at the Indonesia National Games before his injury in September.

Two American women had a good day. Katie Estep, who had to sit an exam in Bahrain to keep up with her college studies, topped the 64kg C Group with a six-from-six total of 221kg. In the B group Sophie Shaft hit her funding target and set three junior national records on 101-124-225.

Sophie Shaft (USA)

“That’s up eight kilos on my total at the World Juniors in Spain in September, and that’s what I came here for,” said Shaft, 19, who had finished behind Estep in León. Shaft was good enough in gymnastics to train at the National Training Centre, and qualified four times for the CrossFit Games before she started weightlifting last year.

“It’s great. Weightlifting is better than CrossFit, for sure,” she said.

By Brian Oliver

Photos by DBM/Deepbluemedia