North Korea weightlifter sets three world records for Asian Games gold

NAGOYA, Sep 23 - Weightlifter Ri Song Gum of North Korea set three world records and claimed the women's 49kg class gold at the Asian Games on Wednesday (Sep 23), giving her nation their first gold of the tournament in style. Ri, a petite 140 cm tall athlete, became the first woman to win three Asian Games weightlifting golds. She lifted 94kg in the snatch and 121kg in the clean and jerk, breaking the previous world records by 1kg and 7kg, respectively, adding up to a winning total of 215kg.

The emotional weightlifter was cheered by a lively crowd including Japanese North Korean fans waving flags. Ri expressed her joy, stating that the feelings for her home country motivated her to lift her nation up. Indian silver medallist Mirabai Chanu and Indonesian bronze medallist Diana Tri Wijayana also won golds in their respective weight classes.