‘AG GOLD’ NORTH KOREAN WEIGHTLIFTER RI SUNG-GEUM TAKES SECOND AT DOHA GP BEHIND ZHANG HUIHUA
Ri Sung Kum (26, DPRK), who set a new world record in the women’s 49-kilogram weightlifting event at the Hangzhou Asian Games, finished second to Zhang Huihua (25, China) at the second edition of the Doha Grand Prix .Li lifted 93kg in the women’s 49kg category, 120kg in the snatch, and 213kg in total in the second round of the 2023 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Grand Prix in Doha, Qatar, on Friday (May 5).Zhang Huihua lifted a total of 216 kilograms (96 kilograms in the lift and 120 kilograms in the snatch) to beat Li Shenggeum by 3 kilograms .She tried to pull off the upset in the third phase of the competition, attempting 124 kilograms, but missed the barbell. At the Asian Games in Hangzhou on Sept. 30, she lifted 92 kilograms in the snatch, 124 kilograms in the jerk, and 216 kilograms in the total to defeat Zhang Huihua, who lifted 213 kilograms (94 kilograms in the snatch and 119 kilograms in the jerk). At the time, Li also broke Zhang Huihua’s previous world record of 215 kg in the women’s 49 kg category.
About two months later, the two met again, and this time Zhang Huihua defeated Li Shengkei.”We are not the strongest in the world right now,” said Wang Guoxin, general manager of the Chinese National Weightlifting Team, before the second edition of the Doha Grand Prix. North Korea is ahead of us.” “We need to catch up with them quickly,” he said, expressing alarm at the growth of North Korean weightlifting.At the Hangzhou Asian Games, North Korean weightlifters won six gold, five silver, and two bronze medals with 14 athletes, outperforming host China (five gold, three silver, and one bronze).The IWF Grand Prix is a lesser-attended event than the Olympic and World Championships .Although ranking points are on the line for the Paris Olympics, North Korean weightlifters have already missed the 2023 World Championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. North Korea competed in the IWF Grand Prix to maintain its “weightlifting powerhouse honor” rather than its practicality.
China, looking to reclaim its title as the world’s strongest weightlifting nation, also sent a number of key athletes to the IWF Grand Prix .Zhang Huihua told IWF: “North Korea did a great job at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Since then, we (the Chinese weightlifting team) have been preparing hard and encouraging each other,” said Zhang Huihua, “and I am happy to be on the top of the podium .”While Ri Sung-gyum missed out on the title, Bang Eun-chol (22) in the men’s 55kg and Won Hyo-sim (21) in the women’s 45kg brought gold medals to North Korea .Bang Eun-chol lifted 116 kilograms in the lift, 152 kilograms in the snatch and 268 kilograms in the total to beat Stario Nugroha (19-Indonesia) by a comfortable margin. Nugroha’s total was 254 kg (115 kg in the vault and 139 kg in the beam).Only two women competed in the 45kg category, with Won Hyo-sim (18-Philippines) totaling 181kg (82kg lifted, 99kg snatch), well ahead of Rose Jean Ramos (18-Philippines) 카지노사이트킹 who totaled 155kg (70kg lifted, 85kg snatch).