North Korean Weightlifter Ri Song Gum Makes History at Asian Games
North Korea’s Ri Song Gum delivered a spectacular performance at the Asian Games, clinching her country’s first gold medal of the event with a dominant display in the women’s 49kg category. Ri rewrote the record books by shattering three world records, starting with a 94kg snatch that surpassed the previous benchmark by one kilogram. She continued her masterclass in the clean and jerk, lifting both 116kg and 121kg to comfortably eclipse the old world mark, ultimately finishing with a total of 215kg—a staggering 7kg improvement on the existing record. With this victory, she became the fourth weightlifter in history, and the first woman, to secure three Asian Games gold medals.
Meanwhile, India’s Mirabai Chanu achieved a long-awaited career milestone by securing her first-ever Asian Games medal. After falling short in previous attempts, the Tokyo Olympic silver medalist successfully lifted a total of 198kg to claim her spot on the podium. Indonesia’s Diana Tri Wijayana took home the bronze with a total of 191kg. Chanu’s performance adds significant momentum to India’s ongoing campaign in Nagoya, further cementing her status as one of the sport's most consistent athletes following her recent success at the Commonwealth Games.