South Korean weightlifter Park Hye-jung (Goyang City Hall) won a silver medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, setting new Korean records in the process.
On September 29, at the Nagoya Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion Hall in Aichi Prefecture, Park competed in the women's 86kg and over category final, lifting 133kg in the snatch, 167kg in the clean and jerk, and achieving a total of 300kg to secure second place.
This achievement marks Park's second consecutive medal at the Asian Games, following her gold medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Games.
While she fell short of becoming the first South Korean woman to win back-to-back Asian Games titles, her performance was significant in terms of records. The 133kg snatch and the 300kg total both surpassed her previous records of 131kg and 299kg, respectively.
Park's silver medal helped restore pride for South Korean weightlifting, which had struggled to win any medals until her performance.
The competition unfolded as a three-way battle among Park, Li Wenwen (China), and Uysal Ikleef (Qatar) from the start.
Park successfully lifted 128kg in her first snatch attempt, followed by 130kg in her second, and 133kg in her third, building momentum. In the clean and jerk, she lifted 163kg in her first attempt and 167kg in her second, reaching a total of 300kg. After effectively securing the silver medal, she attempted 173kg in her final lift but was unsuccessful.
The gold medal went to Li Wenwen, who achieved back-to-back Olympic titles. After missing the Hangzhou Games due to injury, Li returned from retirement to showcase her enduring skills.
Li recorded lifts of 140kg in the snatch, 170kg in the clean and jerk, and a total of 310kg, completing a grand slam by winning the Olympics, World Championships, and Asian Games.
The bronze medal was claimed by Ikleef, who lifted 120kg in the snatch, 153kg in the clean and jerk, and totaled 273kg.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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