PARIS — China’s Wenwen Li won her second Olympic gold medal with a dominant performance to take the title in the women’s over 81kg weightlifting at the Summer Games on Sunday.
The defending gold medalist in the heaviest women’s class did not come close to threatening her own world record of 335kg, but her total of 309kg was more than enough to top the rest of the field.
A lift of 136kg in the snatch gave her a comfortable lead and she secured the gold with her second attempt in the clean and jerk with 173kg on the bar.
The 24-year-old, who had shushed the large Chinese contingent in the crowd before every lift, hoisted her diminutive coach in the air and carried him around the platform in celebration.
“He’s like a father to me,” Li told reporters. “I’m very happy now.”
South Korea’s Hye-jeong Park took silver with a 299kg total, while Britain’s Emily Campbell took the bronze after lifting a total of 288kg.
The over 81kg women’s class is one of the new Olympic categories for Paris, after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the program following the Tokyo Games.
–Reuters, Special to Field Level Media
