The North Korean delegation continued its impressive performance at the Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China, as Kim Il-jung lifted 111 kilograms and set a world record in the snatch to win the gold medal in the 59-kilogram weight category on Monday. Kim, who is 20 years old, achieved this feat on her third attempt in the final competition, surpassing the previous record of 110 kilograms held by Taiwanese weightlifter Kuo Hsing-chun (29 years old), who also competed today.
The final round of the competition included both the snatch and clean and jerk events, with the final results determined based on the total of both lifts for each contestant. Kim started the competition strong by opting to lift 103 kilograms, a weight that only one other lifter attempted initially, the Chinese world champion Luo Shifang, who ultimately failed to challenge Kim.
In the clean and jerk, Kim successfully lifted 135 kilograms, just five kilograms short of the world record set in 2019, but it was enough to establish a record for the tournament. Overall, Kim lifted a total of 246 kilograms, which is also an Asian Games record, but fell short of Kuo's 2021 world record by just one kilogram. Luo secured the silver medal, while the bronze went to Kuo, the Olympic gold medalist and Asian Games champion in Jakarta.
