Li Wenwen Olympic Gold
Li Wenwen captured gold in the women's +81 kg weightlifting division at the Paris Olympics, lifting a total of 309 kg (681 lbs) to give China their fifth weightlifting gold medal. Her runaway victory in the final event highlights her position as one of the sport's elite athletes.
- This was Li Wenwen's second consecutive Olympic gold medal; she also won the super-heavyweight division at the Tokyo 2020 Games (held in 2021). - In her victory at the Tokyo Olympics, she set three Olympic records in the +87 kg category: 140 kg in the snatch, 180 kg in the clean and jerk, and a total of 320 kg. - Li currently holds the world records in the clean & jerk (187 kg) and total (335 kg). - Beyond the Olympics, Li is a two-time world champion and a three-time Asian champion in her weight class. - Her gold in Paris was a part of a dominant performance by the Chinese weightlifting team, which topped the medal tally with five gold medals in the sport. - The silver medalist, Park Hye-jeong of South Korea, lifted a total of 299 kg, a full 10 kg less than Li's winning total. - Li's victory marked China's 40th gold medal of the Paris Olympics, which was the country's best performance at an overseas Olympic Games.
