North Korea's Ri Seong-gum claims gold, ends India's weightlifting streak

Mirabai Chanu delivered a strong performance at the Asian Games weightlifting championships in Nagoya, lifting a combined 198kg (88kg snatch, 111kg clean and jerk) to secure the silver medal in the women's 49kg category. Her medal marks India's first Asian Games weightlifting honour since 1994, breaking nearly three decades without a podium finish in the sport at the continental competition.

However, the gold medal and top honours went to North Korea's Ri Seong-gum, who claimed her third consecutive Asian Games title with a commanding world record performance. Ri lifted a combined 215kg (94kg snatch, 121kg clean and jerk), surpassing the previous world record and cementing her dominance in the category.

Chanu's silver medal represents a significant achievement for Indian weightlifting, which has struggled to produce medal-winning performances at the Asian Games level in recent years. Her lift of 198kg demonstrated improved strength and technique, though it proved insufficient to challenge Ri's exceptional standard-setting performance.

The North Korean lifter's record-breaking effort highlights the continued competitive excellence of weightlifters from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the sport's lighter weight categories at major Asian competitions.