Lightweight (≤59 kg), Women

At the Paris Olympics, the women’s lightweight class was contested up to 59 kg as it was in Tokyo, after being held at 58 kg from 2000-16. Kuo Hsing-Chun of Chinese Taipei, who had won gold in Tokyo and bronze in Rio, was in Paris hoping to add to her medal haul. Kuo was also the holder of the Olympic record and the world record in the clean & jerk.

Other strong contenders to win gold in Paris included China’s Luo Shifang, who held the overall world record going into the Games, and the Commonwealth and Pan American champion Maude Charron (CAN). Missing from the Paris Games, however, were the silver and bronze medalists from Tokyo, Polina Guryeva (TKM) and Mikiko Ando (JPN).

In the first round of the snatch, Kamila Konotop (UKR) set an Olympic record when she lifted 104 kg. By the end of the snatch element, both Charron and Luo had bettered the record, lifting 106 kg and 107 kg, respectively. The clean & jerk saw Luo set another Olympic record when she lifted 134 kg with her second attempt. Charron, Kuo, and Rafiatu Lawal (NGR) all lifted 130 kg to leave them all within a shout of a medal. Colombia’s Yenny Álvarez failed to make a valid lift at this stage of the competition and was eliminated.

Luo powered her way to gold with an Olympic record of 241 kg. Charron lifted 236 kg to win silver, one kilogram ahead of Kuo, who won bronze. Anyelín Venegas (VEN), Rafiatu Lawal (NGR), and Elreen Ando (PHI) all lifted 230 kg, but finishing fourth to sixth, with their bodyweights used as the tiebreaker.