Mirabai Chanu wins Asian Games silver as Ri breaks weightlifting record

North Korea's Ri Song-gum dominated the women's 49kg competition in Nagoya, producing three new world records on her way to gold and giving her country its first top podium finish at the Asian Games. Ri opened with a 94kg snatch, surpassing the previous mark of 93kg, then pushed the clean and jerk record higher with successful lifts of 116kg and 121kg. Her cumulative total of 215kg exceeded the former world record by 7kg.

Ri's victory also placed her in a rare group of weightlifters with three Asian Games golds; she is the first woman to reach that milestone and joins the ranks of Mohammad Nassiri, Kim Tae-hyun and Behdad Salimi, who each won three golds in earlier editions. The 4ft-7in (139.7cm) lifter's performance was noted for both the record-breaking weights and the margin by which she outlifted her rivals.

India's Mirabai Chanu claimed silver with a 198kg total, comprised of an 87kg snatch and a 111kg clean and jerk. The 32-year-old — who won Olympic silver in Tokyo in 2021 — finally secured an Asian Games medal on her third attempt and added to her record as India's most decorated weightlifter, which includes multiple Commonwealth titles. Chanu's podium finish also ended a 28-year drought for India in Asian Games weightlifting medals since Karnam Malleswari's 1998 silver.

Indonesia's Diana Tri Wijayana took bronze with a combined 191kg (88kg snatch and 103kg clean and jerk). The competition highlighted a clear gap between Ri's record-setting performance and the rest of the field, while delivering notable career milestones for athletes from North Korea and India.