North Korean weightlifter Ri Song Gum delivered a record-breaking performance on Wednesday, setting three world records on her way to gold in the women’s 49kg event at the Asian Games.
The victory gave North Korea its first gold medal of the Games and also made Ri the first woman to win three Asian Games weightlifting titles.
Ri began by lifting 94kg in the snatch, surpassing the previous world record of 93kg by one kilogram.
She then broke the clean and jerk world record twice. After lifting 116kg to better the previous mark of 115kg, she raised the standard again with a remarkable 121kg effort.
Her combined total of 215kg established another world record, improving the previous mark by seven kilograms.
India’s Mirabai Chanu, the Tokyo Olympic silver medallist, claimed silver with a combined 198kg, earning her first Asian Games medal on her third attempt. She lifted 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk.
Indonesia’s Diana Tri Wijayana secured bronze with a 191kg total after lifting 88kg in the snatch and 103kg in the clean and jerk.
Ri’s victory also placed her among just four weightlifters to have won three Asian Games gold medals in the sport.
She joins Iran’s Mohammad Nassiri, who won three titles between 1966 and 1974; South Korea’s Kim Tae-hyun, who achieved the feat between 1990 and 1998; and Iran’s Behdad Salimi, who won three between 2010 and 2018.
No weightlifter has won four Asian Games gold medals.