By Amlan Chakraborty
NAGOYA, Japan, Sept 29 (Reuters) – Li Wenwen’s celebration of an Asian Games gold in the women’s +86kg weightlifting may have seemed a touch exuberant for a double Olympic champion, but the 26-year-old insisted it was a natural outpouring of joy after accomplishing her mission at the Nagoya-Aichi Games on Tuesday.
China’s Li, who followed her +87kg title in Tokyo with the +81kg gold in Paris, totalled 310kg at the Nagoya City Trade and Industry Center, taking the title with a couple of Games records as well.
Although well short of her world record mark of 335kg, it was more than enough to finish comfortably ahead of South Korea’s Park Hye-jeong, who lifted 300kg.
Known for her habit of sleeping on the floor during competitions, Li was in tears once the results were out before jumping onto the podium with childlike joy to receive her gold.
“I have done a very good job today, I came here just for this medal,” said a beaming Li.
Before that, her competitive edge was on full display.
Li let out a scream as she sauntered in, dipped her taped fingers into chalk powder, and rubbed them onto her palms before stepping onto the platform for the snatch.
She began with a modest 132kg but flattened the field with her third attempt of 140kg for a new Games record. Park’s 133kg was the next best.
Park laid down a marker in the clean and jerk too, lifting 167kg, but Li effortlessly surpassed the mark with 170kg.
“I will rest for one or two days and then prepare myself better for the Olympic Games,” she said, while confirming she was sticking to her sleeping routine in Nagoya too.
“If you follow my social media you will see; always on the floor at competitions I sleep on the floor. I feel safer.
“We stay on the cruise ship. I am sleeping very well.”
Park, who won the +87kg gold in Hangzhou three years ago, found a silver lining in her performance.
“Even though I couldn’t equal the medal colour from last Asian Games in Hangzhou, I could lift more weight, and I felt as though I won a battle with myself,” she said.
Qatar’s Ouisal Ikhlef won bronze.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in Nagoya; editing by Ed Osmond)
