Nagoya (Japan): Six world records were rewritten on Saturday in the men’s 70kg and 75kg weightlifting divisions at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with lifters from the DPR Korea and Indonesia claiming one gold apiece.
Ri Won-ju of DPR Korea set world records in the clean and jerk at 198kg and the total at 349kg on his way to winning the men’s 70kg weightlifting title, while host Japan’s Masanori Miyamoto had a snatch world record with a lift of 154kg to secure the silver in the same category.
Ri Won-ju trailed Miyamoto by three kilograms in the snatch, but overtook his rival in the clean and jerk to claim the victory with a 7kg margin. Albert Ian Delos Santos of the Philippines took bronze with a total of 324kg.
Delos Santos hails from a weightlifting family. His father, a former lifter with the Philippines national team, was his first coach. Speaking of this special family legacy, Delos Santos could barely contain his excitement, reports Xinhua.
“My sister competed at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, and now being here is like a full circle. And my dad back in the 90s, this is a legacy given to me,” he said.
Later in the men’s 75kg final, Rahmat Erwin Abdullah of Indonesia also created world records in the clean and jerk at 206kg and the total at 366kg on his way to the title.
In the snatch, Ri Chong-song from DPR Korea set a world record with a lift of 162kg, but failed his second and third attempts in the clean and jerk, settling for the bronze medal in the division. Thailand’s Weeraphon Wichuma took silver, narrowly missing out on gold by just one kilogram.
Wichuma said in a post-match interview that he was delighted with his performance. “I’m happy for silver. It’s so good,” he said. “The level here was quite high; this is a competitive field full of good competitors.”
The women’s 69kg and 77kg divisions will take place on Sunday.
(IANS)
