HANGZHOU – North Korea’s Ri Song Gum set a staggering world record on Saturday as she won gold in the first weightlifting event of the Asian Games, four years after her last international competition.

Competing in the women’s 49kg class, the 1.4m Ri secured gold on her second attempt in the clean and jerk at 122kg.

She then drew gasps from the packed crowd as she raised the bar to 124kg, which was 4kg greater than had ever been lifted in that discipline before this competition.

Ri hoisted it aloft to set a new total world mark of 216kg (including 92kg in snatch), then leapt for joy, before bursting into tears as she was hugged by her coaches.

It was the 25-year-old’s second consecutive Asian Games gold, having taken the now-defunct 48kg category in Jakarta five years ago.

China’s world champion Jiang Huihua, who held the previous record at 215kg, won silver and said she was “surprised” at Ri’s success after such a long absence.

“Ri is very impressive,” Jiang, who totalled 213kg (94,119), said. “Back in 2019 I could see she was already making a lot of improvements. But the result today, yes, I was surprised.”

Thailand’s Thanyathon Sukcharoen took bronze on 199kg (90,109). Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu of India, who had a thigh injury, was fourth.

There were more tears on the podium as Ri saluted the raising of the North Korean flag – in contravention of a World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) edict.

“I feel very happy about breaking the world record and when I see my national flag flying I feel very excited to bring this good news to my people,” she said.

North Korean weightlifters have not taken part in international competition since 2019 because the country’s borders were sealed until recently because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ri also said that competing in domestic competitions had kept her sharp. “Participating in the Asian Games after four years, I feel like my efforts in training were not in vain,” she added.

“During the Covid period I did a lot of hard training and that’s why today I achieved this great result and broke the world record. All my training was in my own country and I participated in a lot of national competitions.”

However, to come out in her first event and smash the previous clean and jerk and combined world records is bound to raise eyebrows. Wada had declared the country’s national anti-doping body “non-compliant” in 2021 and slapped it with sanctions that still remain.

North Korea did not take part in the delayed Tokyo Olympics that year, citing the pandemic, and was then barred from the 2022 Beijing Winter Games for skipping Tokyo.

Soon after, there were more beaming North Korean smiles when their women’s football team thrashed rivals South Korea 4-1 in a feisty quarter-final encounter.

The South Koreans, led by English coach Colin Bell, included players who featured at the recent Women’s World Cup, where they went out in the group stage.

The neighbours, who are still technically at war, were locked at 1-1 when South Korea forward Son Hwa-yeon was sent off for a second yellow card close to half-time.

North Korea made the most of their numerical advantage to score three times in the second period for an ultimately comfortable victory, their players celebrating wildly at the full-time whistle.

They play Uzbekistan in the semi-finals.

Elsewhere, India’s Aditi Ashok has one hand on a women’s golf gold after a blistering round of 11-under 61, as world No. 2 Yin Ruoning of China fell out of contention with a 74.

Ashok moved to 22-under 194 for the tournament and has a seven-shot cushion over Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol, who was on 201 after a third-round 69. AFP, REUTERS