The competition between China and North Korea for female athletes is exciting and fierce
Qatar Grand Prix witnesses world-class showdown
Text/photo by Yuan Xuejing, special correspondent of China Sports News
The 2023 International Weightlifting Federation Qatar Grand Prix has been fiercely fought for many days. This competition became more exciting and fierce because the North Korean team competed in a single international weightlifting event for the first time in three years. In the Olympic-level women’s 71kg competition held on December 10, local time, Chinese player Liao Guifang, who was recovering from injury, won three silver medals.
Liao Guifang in the game.
Two months later, Liao Guifang suffered an elbow strain at the Hangzhou Asian Games and unfortunately withdrew from the competition. She had not yet fully recovered. As the Asian Games champion, North Korean player Song Guoxiang has outstanding strength. Liao Guifang succeeded in all three snatch attempts of 108, 113, and 116 kilograms and won the silver medal. Song Guoxiang lifted 120 kilograms in the third lift and won the gold medal. Song Guoxiang lifted 149 kilograms in the second lift, and failed to hit the world record of 154 kilograms in the third lift, but still won the clean and jerk and total score gold medals. Liao Guifang showed a very high success rate, successfully lifting all three attempts of 140, 145, and 148 kilograms, and won silver medals in the clean and jerk and overall results.
“The snatch performance was okay, but the last one was a bit tight. The clean and jerk basically showed the best training level in recent times. I was injured in the Asian Games, and my recent recovery is not bad. I achieved six successes in this competition.” Liao Guifang said after the game, He will strive to maintain his training level and continue to improve in the following winter training, “restore the results and slowly move up bit by bit.”
It was the first time to compete with North Korean player Song Guoxiang. The opponent also tried to challenge Liao Guifang’s clean and jerk and total score world records, which also inspired Liao Guifang’s fighting spirit. “North Korean athletes are very strong. Training and competing with them during this Grand Prix will help me improve myself better. When we meet again at the World Cup in Thailand next year, my goal must be to beat her and set a new world record.” issue a challenge.”
The North Korean women’s weightlifting team is fully represented in this Grand Prix and has so far participated in all levels including the non-Olympic level. The Chinese women’s weightlifting competition only participated in the Olympic level this time. It previously won the 49 and 59 kg championships. Jiang Huihua and Luo Shifang both tied the world record with wonderful performances; the North Korean women’s weightlifting swept the non-Olympic level 45, 55 and 64 kg. Class champion and set a new world record in the 64kg clean and jerk category. It is foreseeable that the dispute between China and North Korea in the women’s sports competition will remain one of the focuses of the most attention in the international sports world in the next few years.
(Doha, December 10)