Paris, France, August 8, 2024: Chinese weightlifter Luo Shifang could not have made a bigger impression on her Olympic Games debut at the South Paris Arena 6 on Thursday afternoon.
Not only did the 23-year-old Olympic rookie win the gold medal in the women’s 59kg category, she also set three Olympic records in the process.
In the snatch she lifted 107kg – Olympic record.
In the clean and jerk she lifted 134kg – Olympic record.
Her total lift of 241kg was, therefore – Olympic record.
In a tough field, which also included Chinese Taipei’s Kuo Hsing-Chun in her fourth Olympics, it was a remarkable display of technique, focus and strength by Luo.
She also endeared herself to the crowd inside the arena with her extravagant gestures and bubbly character. Every time she walked out to perform, she either held a finger to her mouth to shush the crowd, or used her hands to calm them down.
Furthermore, she only needed five of her six lifts to win the gold.
In the snatch, she opened with 101kg and followed up with 105kg (Olympic record) and 107kg (Olympic record) to lead after the first phase, but by only one point from Canada’s Maude Charron (106kg).
In the clean and jerk, Luo opened with 129kg and increased that to 134kg, which gave her the Olympic record in all three elements.
With the gold medal in the bag, Luo came out for her sixth and final lift, announced as 137kg. But, instead of taking up position, she blew kisses to the crowd and gave a victory wave. After all, what else could she do after cleaning up in all three elements and with a total that was still 7kg shy of her world record 248kg set in Phuket, Thailand on April 3, 2024.
Charron won the silver medal with 106-130-236 and the popular Kuo, the defending champion from Tokyo 2020, was a delighted winner of the bronze medal for Chinese Taipei with 105-130-235.
New champion Luo said she had always been confident of winning the gold medal – but nothing was ever certain until the final moment.
“I always keep a clear mind and I did not make any major mistakes,” she said.
“Before the competition I wanted this gold medal so I gave myself a lot of pressure, but when I got on the platform, I did not feel any pressure at all. I believe that success only comes from perseverance – and today I always had hope and always persevered.”
Bronze medal winner Kuo said she didn’t know if she would be able to compete in a fifth Olympics at Los Angeles in 2028, hence the tears of emotion. “I did not do very well in my clean and jerk and I lost the opportunity but, as a 31-year-old, I could still get on the platform.
“As athletes we are constantly training and going to competitions and there must be a lot of discipline,” she said. “I have shown this discipline for over a decade – but it’s not the perfect ending.”
