Weightlifting

Phạm Thị Hồng Thanh of Việt Nam competes to win a bronze at the Asian Weightlifting Championship on May 9 in Jinju, South Korea. Photo of AWF

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese weightlifter Phạm Thị Hồng Thanh clinched a coveted bronze medal in the snatch at the Asian Weightlifting Championship held in Jinju, South Korea, on May 9th.

Going up against 12 fierce competitors in the women's 71kg category, Thanh's triumph was no small feat.

The Southeast Asian Games champion proved her mettle by lifting an impressive 103kg in her third attempt in the snatch, earning her the coveted bronze medal.

In the clean and jerk, she lifted 127kg, bringing her total weight lifted to 230kg and placing her in fifth place overall.

Despite being a lifter in the 64kg category, Thanh put on weight to compete in the 71kg category for the first time. But this did not deter her from performing stellar against some of the top athletes in the region.

In the women's 71kg category, Chinese athlete Liao Guifang clinched three gold medals with lifts of 148kg, 120kg and 268kg, respectively.

Vanessa Sarno of the Philippines won three silvers, lifting 132kg, 107kg and 239kg, respectively. Chen Wen-Huei, representing Chinese Taipei, bagged two bronze medals in the clean and jerk with 131kg and a total of 232kg.

Việt Nam has so far won one gold, one silver, and one bronze medal at the Jujin championship, earning valuable points for their 2024 Paris Olympics campaign. The country has sent ten athletes to compete in the tournament, which will conclude on May 13. VNS