By Julian Linden, OCA Media
Nagoya, Japan, September 26, 2026: Indonesian strongman Rahmat Erwin Abdullah celebrated the way everyone probably does after breaking a world record to win gold at the Asian Games on Saturday.
After successfully hoisting 206 kilograms in the clean and jerk to leapfrog Ri Chong-song of DPR Korea for gold in the men’s 75kg weightlifting division, Abdullah dropped the bar down then went to the front of the stage and flexed his muscles.
The crowd at the Nagoya City Trade and Industry Center loved his pose and roared their approval. And rightly so after the 25-year-old had set two world records, including his winning total of 366kg in the middleweight category to claim his second Asian Games gold after winning the lightweight crown at Hangzhou 2022.
“Everything went well. It was about consistency and body-weight loss,” Abdullah said.
“It feels different, feels so much bigger than the last time. The pressure, because now I have a son and a wife supporting me, that is why it feels different."
Talking about his victory pose, the champion added: “It has been a while since I did my pose. I did it because all my sacrifices were worth it. My last time doing it was in 2024. It has been a very long time. I miss my son. He’s 10 months old.
“My dad is here with me, and he is also my coach. My mother is in my hometown, and my wife as well. My wife is also a weightlifter.”
Thailand’s Weeraphon Wichuma took the silver with a combined lift of 365kg.
Just 22, he also broke the clean and jerk world record with a 205 kg lift but had to settle for second when Abdullah went for a higher weight with a lift to spare.
“I’m happy for silver. It’s so good,” Weeraphon said. “I’ve been training for the world record at 205kg. This is the way I usually practise, so it’s not so special. However, the level here was quite high. This is a competitive field full of good competitors."
Ri won gold in the 81kg division at Hangzhou 2022 but dropping back to 75kg drained his energy. He set a world record of 162kg in the snatch then lifted 195kg with his first attempt in the clean and jerk but was relegated to third after twice failing to hold 202kg.
