Nagoya, 27 September 2026
150 athletes, 72 women and 78 men, from 31 National Olympic Committees are competing in weightlifting at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026. The competition runs from 23 to 29 September at the Nagoya City Trade and Industry Center.
The first four days set a record-breaking pace. Across the first eight categories, 36 world records and 60 Games records fell. Medals went to nine NOCs, and two titles were decided by a single kilogram.
The first four days in numbers
8 categories decided: Women’s 49kg, 53kg, 57kg and 61kg; Men’s 60kg, 65kg, 70kg and 75kg.
81 athletes from 22 NOCs took to the platform.
36 world records in six categories and 60 Games records in all eight, counting snatch, clean & jerk and total separately. 16 of the 24 world records in these categories were set in Nagoya.
9 NOCs won medals.
2 titles were decided by 1kg, in the Men’s 65kg and 75kg. In the Men’s 60kg the top four finished within 6kg.
64.9% of attempts were good lifts (302 of 465): 69.0% in the snatch and 60.5% in the clean & jerk. Only 40.3% of third clean & jerk attempts succeeded.
6 athletes made all six attempts; 7 finished without a total.
24.5 years was the average age. The youngest competitor was 16 and the oldest 37.
Day 1, 23 September: Women’s 49kg and 53kg
The Women’s 49 kg opened the programme with world records in all three lifts. Ri Song Gum (PRK) made 94kg, 121kg and a 215kg total to win by 17kg. Mirabai Chanu Saikhom (IND) took silver with 198kg and Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana (INA) bronze with 191kg.
The Women’s 53 kg had the largest field of the week, with 13 lifters. Kang Hyon Gyong (PRK) won with 223kg and set Games records in all three lifts. Zhao Jinlan (CHN) matched her 124kg clean & jerk and took silver on 218kg. Surodchana Khambao (THA) won bronze with 214kg after missing a 127kg clean & jerk that would have given her silver.
Day 2, 24 September: Men’s 60kg and 65kg
The Men’s 60 kg produced the closest podium of the week, with the top four within 6kg. Yang Yang (CHN) made all six attempts for a Games-record 304kg. Pang Un Chol (PRK) lifted a Games-record 174kg clean & jerk for silver on 301kg. Theerapong Silachai (THA) took bronze with 299kg after an 8kg jump to 173kg, 1kg ahead of Ricko Saputra (INA).
The Men’s 65 kg was decided by 1kg. He Yueji (CHN) set snatch world records of 149kg and 152kg to lead by 6kg, but missed 179kg and 180kg in the clean & jerk. Pak Myong Jin (PRK) made a Games-record 182kg to win 328kg to 327kg. Tran Minh Tri (VIE) won bronze with 309kg. Eko Yuli Irawan (INA), the oldest competitor at 37, finished 4th.
Day 3, 25 September: Women’s 57kg and 61kg
Oh Kwang Ok (PRK) made all six attempts in the Women’s 57 kg, with world records of 104kg, 134kg and 238kg. Her 19kg margin was the largest of the eight finals. Behind her, 3kg covered the next three places. Suratwadee Yodsarn (THA) took silver with 219kg, Chen Guan-ling (TPE) bronze with 217kg, and Quang Thi Tam (VIE) was 4th on 216kg.
The Women’s 61 kg saw the snatch world record broken three times: 109kg by Pak Jin Hae (PRK), then 110kg and 112kg by Yang Liuyue (CHN). Both lifted 139kg in the clean & jerk. Pak made it first for the world record, and Yang’s matching lift set a junior world record. Yang, 19, won gold with a 251kg world-record total and is the youngest medallist so far. Pak took silver with 248kg. Kuo Hsing-chun (TPE), 32, won bronze with 237kg, including an Asian and Games record 107kg snatch.
Day 4, 26 September: Men’s 70kg and 75kg
The final day brought the most records: 19 world records across the two men’s categories. In the Men’s 70 kg, Masanori Miyamoto (JPN) led after a 154kg world-record snatch. Ri Won Ju (PRK) answered with 187kg, 192kg and 198kg in the clean & jerk, the last two world records. The world-record total was broken five times between them, and Ri finished on 349kg, 7kg ahead of Miyamoto. Albert Ian Delos Santos (PHI), 20, took bronze with 324kg, setting junior world records in the clean & jerk (183kg) and total. Adkhamjon Ergashev (UZB) was 4th with 318kg.
The Men’s 75 kg was the contest of the week. Ri Chong Song (PRK) led after a 162kg world-record snatch, 2kg ahead of Weeraphon Wichuma (THA) and Rahmat Erwin Abdullah (INA). In the clean & jerk the world-record total was broken five times: 357kg by Ri, 360kg by Wichuma, 361kg by Abdullah, 365kg by Wichuma, and finally 366kg by Abdullah with a 206kg clean & jerk. Abdullah won by 1kg without needing his last attempt. Wichuma took silver and Ri bronze.
Medal standings after eight categories
Rank | NOC | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
1 | DPR Korea (PRK) | 5 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
2 | China (CHN) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
3 | Indonesia (INA) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
4 | Thailand (THA) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
5 | India (IND) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
5 | Japan (JPN) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
7 | Chinese Taipei (TPE) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
8 | Philippines (PHI) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
8 | Vietnam (VIE) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
The weightlifting competition continues until 29 September with the remaining categories.
