Paris 2024 Olympic Games: Double weightlifting success for China as Li Fabin and Hou Zhihui seal gold, break records
Published 07/08/2024 at 23:00 GMT+1
It was a day to celebrate for China in the weightlifting events at Paris 2024 as Li Fabin and Hou Zhihui both retained their titles in the men’s 61kg and women’s 49kg events, respectively. Both broke Olympic records, with Li lifting 143kg in the snatch and Hou lifting 117kg in the clean and jerk. Hampton Morris became the first man from the USA to win an Olympic weightlifting medal in 40 years.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
It was a double success for China in Wednesday’s weightlifting competition with gold in the men’s 61kg and women’s 49kg events at Paris 2024.
Li Fabin and Hou Zhihui both retained their titles at Paris Expo to mark a memorable day for China.
Li's lift of 143kg set a new Olympic snatch record in the men's 61kg event with his third attempt, just 3kg short of his own world record.
The three-time world champion triumphed with a score of 310 following a lift of 167kg in the clean and jerk.
"I'm really happy that I'm competing at this Olympic Games. The atmosphere is really great, and I really enjoyed the competition," said Li.
"I'm getting older and older, so this might be the last time I compete, but I'm still looking forward for maybe the next time. I would like to have one more gold medal for my country.
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"I don't have any concrete idea right now. I just want to enjoy the moment. I won the gold medal today."
Thailand’s Theerapong Silachai earned a surprise silver medal with a lift of 171kg in the clean and jerk to accumulate a score of 303.
Hampton Morris, with a score of 298, won bronze to become the first man from the USA to win an Olympic weightlifting medal in four decades.
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Gold medalist Zhihui Hou of Team People's Republic of China poses on the podium during the Weightlifting Women's 49kg medal ceremony.
Image credit: Getty Images
Hou proves too strong
In the women’s 49kg final, Hou Zhihui also celebrated back-to-back victories, lifting a total of 206kg.
Hou had been tracked all the way by Romania’s Mihaela Cambei but succeeded at the third time in clean and jerk to set an Olympic record with a lift of 117kg, beating her rival by 1kg.
Cambei took the silver and Thailand’s Surodchana Khambao sealed bronze.
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