Taiwanese weightlifter Kuo clinches fifth world title
Taiwanese Olympic gold medalist Kuo Hsing-chun (郭 婞 淳) won her fifth world title on Saturday at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) world championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, winning two gold medals and one d ‘silver.
Kuo, who competed in the women’s under 59 kg division, won a silver snatch after lifting 100 kg, then two gold medals with a 130 kg clean and jerk and combined lift of 230 kg.
Kuo also won the IWF World Championship title in 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2013.
Photo: Reuters
Her latest victory was her 12th straight win in the under 59 kg and under 58 kg categories, leaving her unbeaten since placing third at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The competition consists of two parts: the snatch, in which an athlete lifts the bar from the ground above their head in one movement, and the clean and jerk, which requires the athlete to first carry the bar to his chest before shaking it. their head.
Athletes compete by performing each of the two types of lifts three times and adding the heaviest weight lifted in each. The person with the highest combined weight wins the competition.
On Saturday, Kuo lifted 97kg on his first snatch attempt, which was heavier than any attempt by his opponents.
She settled for a better 100 kg on her second attempt after a third unsuccessful attempt.
Ukrainian Mariia Hanhur won the gold medal after lifting 101 kg on her third attempt.
By the time Kuo managed to lift 128kg on her second clean and jerk attempt, she had effectively won the title as her combined lift outweighed that of her opponents.
On her third attempt, Kuo lifted 130kg to extend her combined lift to 230kg, beating Colombian Yenny Alvarez by 4kg, to win two gold medals.
All three world records for women under 59 kg are held by Kuo. It is a snatch of 110 kg, a clean and jerk of 140 kg and a total of 247 kg.
Kuo has won 10 gold, five silver and two bronze medals at the World Championships. The number of gold medals she has won also exceeds the nine accumulated by former National Olympic weightlifter Chen Jui-lien (陳瑞蓮), making Kuo the best weightlifter in Taiwan.
Considered a national sporting hero, Kuo has had a remarkable year, setting two world records at the Asian Championships in April.
She carried the Taiwanese flag at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, where she won her first Olympic gold medal.
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