At the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Jiangshan, Chinese athletes Yang Qiuxia and Liao Guifang have made headlines by setting new world records in their respective weight categories.
On Tuesday, in the women’s 71kg division, Yang Qiuxia captivated the audience with a thrilling performance. Both Yang and the DPRK’s Song Kuk Hyang started strong, attempting lifts at 115kg. While Song faced a setback with a no-lift on her initial attempt, Yang smoothly completed her lift. She then successfully cleared 120kg. In a dramatic turn, Song tied the existing world record by lifting 121kg on her final attempt, piling the pressure on Yang. Rising to the challenge, Yang attempted 122kg, just above the world record. After a tense wait due to a video review, her lift was confirmed, earning her the snatch gold and setting a new world record.
However, in the clean & jerk segment, Song took center stage. She opened with a confident lift of 145kg and then boldly moved to 155kg, smashing both the clean & jerk and total world records with a combined total of 276kg. This secured her gold in both categories. Yang lifted 140kg in the clean & jerk, bringing her total to 262kg and earning silver medals.
In the women’s 76kg category, world champion Liao Guifang showcased her dominance. Liao completed all three snatch attempts, culminating in a world record lift of 125kg. She continued her exceptional form in the clean & jerk, successfully lifting 154kg on her second attempt. This gave her a combined total of 279kg, breaking the total world record. Although she narrowly missed lifting 157kg on her final attempt, Liao secured all three gold medals.
Another highlight was in the women’s 81kg class, where world champion Wu Yan clinched gold in the snatch with a 116kg lift on her second attempt, establishing a significant lead over her competitors. In the clean & jerk, Wu continued her winning streak, nailing all three attempts and achieving a top lift of 147kg. Her combined total of 263kg earned her two more titles.
