North Korean weightlifter Ri Song-gum broke three world records on her way to winning the gold medal in the women's 49kg (108lbs) division on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, in Nagoya, Japan. The event also saw India's Mirabai Chanu secure her first career Asian Games medal by taking second place.
Ri's victory earned North Korea its first gold medal of these games. The 28-year-old athlete, who stands 4 feet 7 inches (139.7cm) tall, began her historic performance by lifting 94kg in the snatch discipline, exceeding the previous world record of 93kg by 1kg. She followed this by breaking the clean and jerk world record twice, first hoisting 116kg and then lifting 121kg. Ri's final combined total of 215kg beat the previous world record total by 7kg
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