Asian Championships: PRK’s women are outshone by China – and their own men’s team
PRK’s women have been unstoppable since the country returned to international weightlifting in 2023 after a long Covid-related absence.
If they sent their strongest team to a competition – Asian Games, World Championships, continental championships, Grands Prix, World Cup – they finished top of the medals table, racking up countless world records along the way. China named them “the new number one” in women’s weightlifting.
Perhaps it is time for a rethink. At the Asian Championships which ended at the weekend in Gandhinagar, India, China got the better of PRK’s women by winning four golds to three and also finished top of the overall medals table.
Ri Suk (PRK)
It was a different story for PRK’s men. Four of them set world records, they had four champions to China’s three and for the first time in years they outperformed the women.
China’s team in India was considerably younger than PRK’s. Seven of the 15 were 21 or younger and two of them set junior world records to add to those from the recent World Junior Championships in Egypt, where China finished well clear at the top of the medals table. PRK did not participate.
PRK had world records from the 63kg and 69kg champions, Ri Suk (six good lifts for 111-143-254) and Song Kuk-Hyang (112-151-263). But the double world champion Kang Hyon-Gyong bombed out at 53kg and Kim Kyong-Ryon finished well behind Liao Guifang at 77kg.
Li Yan (CHN)
China’s four winners were Zhao Jinlan at 53kg on 95-121-216, Liao Guifang at 77kg on 118-147-265 (she declined her final two attempts), Peng Cuiting at 86kg on 127-143-270, and the super-heavyweight Li Yan. Li set a snatch world record in making all six attempts for 145-178-323.
Ikhlef Ouissal from Qatar was impressive in second place, edging ahead of Park Hyejeong from Korea on 130-169-299.
Two silver medallists set junior world records for China. Yang Liuyue, 19, had a sweep at 63kg on 112-139-251 and Wei Tingna, who was 20 this Monday, had snatch and total records at 58kg on 101-124-225.
Ri Won Ju led the way for PRK’s men, making all six lifts at 71kg and claiming world records in clean and jerk and total on 154-197-351.
Ri Ryon Hyong, competing for the first time since he won the 2024 world title at 73kg, took Rizki Juniansyah’s clean and jerk world record at 79kg and was only 1kg short of the record on total. Ri was second at halfway behind his team-mate Ri Chong Song but finished 6kg clear on 158-206-364.
He Yueji (CHN)
At 88kg, Ro Kwang Ryol bettered Yeison Lopez’s clean and jerk world record by 4kg in making 167-220-387 to finish 18kg clear of Pan Yunhua from China. In the concurrent African Championships in Ismailia, Abdelrahman ‘Abdo’ Younes from Egypt broke the snatch world record in this category in making 182-210-392.
The 60kg champion Pang Un Chol set a clean and jerk world record and won by 27kg on 130-174-304. Tu Yi made all six lifts to win at 94kg on 175-211-386.
China had the standout performer on individual points in He Yueji, the 65kg winner. He, who holds the snatch world record at 71kg, made 146-183-329 for world records in clean and jerk and total.
Liu Huanhua would have overtaken his team-mate He on points, and claimed two world records at 110kg if his phenomenal final attempt at 239kg had stood. Liu completed the lift and asked for more cheers from the crowd as he celebrated – but there were two red lights from the referees and the jury agreed with them. It was a no-lift for bending and extending, so Liu finished on 190-230-420.
Gor Minasyan (BRN)
Akbar Djuraev from Uzbekistan, whose world record Liu was chasing, was among the notable absentees. Others included Rizki and Rahmat Erwin from Indonesia, Weeraphon Wichuma and Theerapong Silachai from Thailand, and Ali Ammar Yusur from Iraq.
The only champions not from PRK or China were Huang Yi-Chen from Chinese Taipei in the women’s 48kg (81-112-193) and Gor Minasyan in the men’s super-heavyweights for Bahrain. Minasyan led by 28kg at halfway and declined his final attempt to finish 212-245-457.
Second-placed Alireza Yousefi from Iran set a clean and jerk world record of 261kg with the final lift of the Championships.
By Brian Oliver
