Hangzhou, September 9 (ZXS) -- After four years away from international competitions, the "mysterious master" North Korean team, which returned again, started with five world records at the weightlifting competition of the Hangzhou Asian Games on the 30th, and won two gold medals in women's events that day.
The weightlifting competition started on the 30th at the Xiaoshan Sports Center Gymnasium. In the women's 49kg and women's 55kg competitions on the same day, the North Korean team won two golds and one silver, breaking world records in all but the 49kg snatch.
"Unexpected", "too powerful" and "too strong", the strength of the North Korean team in the weightlifting competition was not only sighed by the media, even Wang Guoxin, the head coach of the Chinese women's weightlifting team, did not expect, "I haven't seen them (the North Korean weightlifting team) for several years, and it is indeed unexpected to have such good results." ”
The two Chinese players on the field felt more really. China's Jiang Huihua set the women's 9kg jerk and overall world records in early September before the "full moon", and today was set by North Korea's Ri Seung-jin, bringing the two world records to 49kg and 124kg.
After the match, Jiang Huihua said, "I fought Li Shengjin when I was a teenager, and she was very strong at that time. I didn't expect that after four years, her grades improved so quickly. Then you have to train hard when you go back, and you can't always let yourself be in your comfort zone. ”
Since the Hangzhou Asian Games followed the competition level of the Tokyo Olympics, many levels have become non-Olympic levels in the new Olympic cycle, in order to avoid continuous weight loss in a short period of time and affect their physical condition, some athletes of the Chinese team chose to upgrade to participate in the competition.
In less than a month, Hou Zhihui, who had just won the women's 49kg snatch championship at the World Championships, switched from 49kg to 55kg, and her body and physique were much different from many team members. North Korean athletes Kang Hyun-kyung and Ri Shui-yeon set the world record in the second half of the women's 55kg jerk competition, and finally Kang Hyun-kyung fixed the world records at 103 kg (snatch), 130 kg (jerk), and 233 kg (overall).
On September 9, at the Hangzhou Asian Games, North Korea's Jiang Hyun-kyung set three world records in the women's 30kg weightlifting snatch, jerk and overall with 103kg, 130kg and 233kg, and won the championship of this event. Photo by China News Agency reporter Jia Tianyong
"Seeing their achievements this time, we should calm down, fight steadily, and continue to break through the goals we set before, break our original thinking, and continue to rush forward." Hou Zhihui, who won a bronze medal in the women's 55kg competition that day, said.
North Korea's participation in the World Sports Series has been severely restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic and penalties imposed by the International Olympic Committee, missing the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, the North Korean sports delegation sent a total of 191 athletes, and as the traditional strength of the North Korean team, weightlifting became an important gold point for them in this Asian Games.
Weightlifting is North Korea's most medals (18) at any Summer Olympics, including five gold, eight silver and five bronze. At the 5 Asian Games in Jakarta, North Korea won 8 gold medals, ranking 5th in the gold medal table, eight of which came from weightlifting. (End)