PHUKET: On Monday at the weightlifting World Cup in Phuket, China’s Olympic gold medallist Zhihui Hou broke her own world record with a snatch, but North Korean Ri Song-Gum equaled it and won the women’s 49kg division by setting a new record total.
At the World Cup, Hou, who won gold in the snatch in July 2021 in Tokyo, lifted 97 kg to grab the lead before Ri equaled her feat.
In the weight class, Hou lifted 120 kg to come second with a total of 217, while Ri lifted 124 kg to score a total of 221, setting a new world record.
As the best-performing Chinese athlete, Hou earned a spot in the Olympics this year.
North Korea started the qualifying program too late, so Ri is not eligible for the Paris Games, according to a statement from the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF).
After lifting 125 kg at the Asian Championships in February, Ri, who also currently owns the world record in clean and jerk, made an unsuccessful effort to lift 126 kg.
