North Korean weightlifter sets three world records

North Korean weightlifter Ri Song-gum yesterday gave her country their first gold of the Asian Games in style, setting three world records in the women’s 49kg class in Nagoya, Japan, and shedding tears of joy. The pocket powerhouse, who stands a mere 140cm tall, joined an elite club of just four weightlifters who have won three Asian Games golds.

The 28-year-old Ri was emotional as her country’s anthem was played at the medal ceremony.

Alongside her was the silver medalist from India, Mirabai Chanu, and bronze medalist from Indonesia, Diana Tri Wijayana. Ri’s exceptional achievement was cheered to the rafters in a lively atmosphere at the Nagoya Trade and Industry Center hall, made all the more raucous by a large number of Japanese-North Korean fans waving flags.

North Korea’s Ri Song-gum competes in the women’s 49kg weightlifting competition during the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, yesterday.

Photo: EPA

The reigning two-time world champion added to her Asian Games golds in Jakarta in 2018 in the 48kg class and Hangzhou, China, in 2023 at 49kg.

Ri hauled 94kg above her head in the opening snatch discipline, 1kg more than the previous world standard of 93kg.

She then smashed the clean and jerk world mark of 115kg twice by hoisting 116kg and then 121kg. Her total of 215kg also obliterated the world mark by 7kg.

“The reason I got this gold is for the feelings of my home country. The people had huge expectations for me,” Ri told reporters. “I wanted to lift my country up on these two small shoulders.”

From Aug. 1, governing body the International Weightlifting Federation introduced new weight classes leading up to the next Olympics and reset all its world records.

If an athlete beats the newly introduced world standard mark, they are deemed to have set a new world record.

Ri has never competed in the Olympics. North Korea were absent from Tokyo in 2021 because of COVID-19, and the country did not qualify in weightlifting for Paris in 2024.

There will be no 49kg class at the next Olympics in Los Angeles, because the competition has been slimmed down to six men’s and six women’s divisions.

However, when Ri was asked if she would consider moving up to 53kg, the lowest women’s category to chase Olympic gold, she replied: “Yes.”

India’s Chanu, the silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, finally won an Asian Games medal at the third time of asking.

She had a total of 198kg after a snatch of 87kg, and clean and jerk of 111kg, while Indonesia’s Wijayana took bronze on 191kg, with 88kg and 103kg respectively. A veteran now, the 2017 world champion Chanu is enjoying one of her best years. The 32-year-old in July won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, but said she had fulfilled “a dream” by standing on an Asian Games podium for the first time.

“I feel very good, very happy,” Chanu said. “This is my dream to win an Asian Games medal.

“I had the belief in me that I would be able to win. There were expectations, people who believed in me — my coaches, my support staff and I made sure to win a medal for my country,” she said.

Ri became only the fourth lifter, and first woman, to win three Asian Games weightlifting golds.

She joined Iran’s Mohammad Nassiri (1966-1974), South Korea’s Kim Tae-hyun (1990-1998) and Iran’s Behdad Salimi (2010-2018) who all won three golds. No one has ever won four.