Phuket, Thailand, April 9, 2024: China’s Liu Huanhua has set his sights on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after dominating the men’s 102kg category at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup in Phuket, Thailand on Monday, April 8.
Liu set two world records in the clean and jerk and in total to cement his position at the top of the Olympic Qualification Rankings.
The Chinese lifter was ranked fifth after the snatch with his best attempt being 181kg. He then lifted 232kg in the clean and jerk to total 413kg, setting new world records in both categories.
“I performed my best and even went beyond my training level, achieving my goal to set new world records,” Liu said, with his focus now set on winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
“China has not won an Olympic gold in the 100-plus-kg category. I hope that I can become the first Chinese weightlifter to win an Olympic medal in this category,” Liu added.
Bahrain’s Lesman Paredes made a successful return after elbow surgery and finished fourth in this event. Parades lifted 186-212-398 improving his best total by 1kg.
“I had two elbow surgeries last year, in March and July, so this was a good comeback especially as I didn’t want to take any risks before Paris,” Parades said.
The World Cup is the final qualifying event for the Paris Olympics.
