China’s Hou Zhihui wins opening weightlifting gold with an Olympic record

World record holder Hou Zhihui powered to gold in the women’s 49kg weightlifting category with an unstoppable display at the Tokyo International Forum on Saturday afternoon as the world and Asian champion won Olympic gold for China.

Zhihui, 24, from Chenzhou in the Hunan province, dominated the competition in the snatch and clean and jerk with almost effortless lifts as a world-class field failed to keep pace with the Chinese powerhouse.

Cuba’s Ludia Marguiela Montero Ramos, 22, led the way in the morning session but a stronger afternoon field surpassed the respectable numbers from the Havana native. Montero Ramos posted a total of 178kg (82kg snatch and 96kg clean and jerk).

The USA believed they had a bonafide medal contender in the form of Jourdan Elizabeth Delacruz and the young Texan made an encouraging start before falling away at the vital stage as her nearest rivals kept raising their numbers.

Zhihui, who won the Asian Championships last year in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, posted a snatch of 94kg and a colossal 116kg clean and jerk to register an Olympic record total of 210kg in a riveting display.

“I would like to thank my team and everyone who’s helped me, they all put their trust in me and believed that I would succeed.

“I have achieved my dream and I’m delighted. I want to express my gratitude to everyone who’s trained with me and helped to prepare me for this result.”

India’s Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, 26, who claimed bronze at the Asian Championships in 2020, was her country’s only female representative in the weightlifting and bounced back from her Olympic disappointment at Rio 2016 by claiming silver in Tokyo.

Mirabai Chanu recorded a total of 202kg (87kg snatch and 115kg clean and jerk).

“I tried hard to get the medal, before I couldn’t do it, I’ve worked extra hard and I feel very happy this time,” said India’s hero on day one of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

“If everybody knows my name now I feel very pleased, in the future India can win more medals and every success from our country will make me proud.”

The bronze medal went to Indonesia’s 19-year-old Windy Cantika Aisah who shone on the biggest stage of her burgeoning career. Teenage sensation Aisah immediately made a video call to her jubilant friends and family from the warm area in joyous scenes that the media lapped up en masse.

The 2021 Junior World Championships gold medallist jumped for joy as she produced a 110kg clean and jerk lift and an 84kg snatch effort for a combined total of 194kg which saw her comfortably claim the third and final place on the podium.

Weightlifting’s opening day of competition will be remembered for the hulking heroics of Zhihui - who was the calmest person in the building after winning her first Olympic title - and the youthful all-Asian podium.

Weightlifting’s build-up to the Games has been complicated but the athletes delivered a compelling day of competition with rising stars taking their careers to new heights on the sport’s biggest stage.

Japan’s five-time Olympian Hiromi Miyake – whose father and coach Yoshiyuki Miyake won weightlifting gold at the last Tokyo Olympics in 1964 as well as Mexico 1968 - struggled on home soil as Tokyo 2020 proved to be a Games too far for the London 2012 silver medallist and Rio 2016 bronze medallist.

Saitama hope Miyake cut a forlorn figure as her form eluded her in the clean and jerk as she failed with all three attempts at a weight of 99kg.

Weightlifting resumes on Sunday with the men’s 61kg and 67kg categories set to be contested.

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