Heavyweight (≤87 kilograms), Women

The second heaviest weight class for women was contested for a bodyweight up to 87 kg, which was a gap of 11 kg to the next lightest weight class. This was due to the fact, that unlike the World Championships, an 81 kg class was not contested at the Olympics.

The heavy favourite in the heavyweight category was Wang Zhouyu, season best 286 kg, who was the reigning world champion from 2019 and back-to-back winner of the last two Asian championships in 2019 and 2020 (held in 2021). The next best performances, but a long way behind Zhouyu, were from compatriots Kang Yue, second at the last Asian championships with 273 kg, and Ao Hui, world champion in 2018 with 268 kg, and Kim Un-Ju (PRK), runner-up at the last two World championships with a qualification best of 269 kg. None of those three, however, participated in Tokyo. The two Chinese lifters were prevented from competing because of the one nation per event rule, and Kim did not take part because PRK decided not to send a team to the Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The next best qualifiers were Tamara Salazar, season best 260 kg and bronze medallist at the last World Championships, María Valdés, qualification best 259 kg, and Crismery Santana, season best 258 kg. Valdés had to withdraw shortly before the Games due to a shoulder injury.

Wang won the competition easily to give China their sixth weightlifting gold medal of the Games. She lifted 120 kg in snatch and 150 kg in clean & jerk for a total of 270 kg. Silver went to Salazar who enjoyed a perfect competition, and was the only lifter to successfully lift all six attempts with her best being 113 kg in snatch, and 150 kg in clean & jerk for a total of 263 kg. Bronze went to Santana while Mönkhjantsangiin Ankhtsetseg finished fourth for the best ever weightlifting result for Mongolia. She had already finished fourth in the 2014 Youth Olympics and qualified for Tokyo only after Valeria Rivas was cut from the Colombian squad when their federation was sanctioned due to the high number of doping offences.

The Olympic Standard for Olympic records was 130 kg for snatch, 159 kg for clean & jerk, and 289 kg for total. None of these records were broken, which was not a surprise as none of the world standards had ever been broken. Wang tried to lift 160 kg in her last attempt to set at least an Olympic record in clean & jerk and total but failed to clear the weight.