N. Korea's Ri Song-gum wins gold in weightlifting, Pyongyang's 1st gold at Asian Games

NAGOYA, Japan — North Korea's Ri Song-gum won gold in the lightest weight class in women's weightlifting on Wednesday, earning her country its first gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Ri finished with a total of 215 kilograms, lifting 94kg in the snatch and 121kg in the clean and jerk in the women's 48kg event at Nagoya City Trade and Industry Center in Nagoya, Japan. All three marks — her snatch, clean and jerk, and total — were new world records. Mirabai Chanu Saikhom of India won silver with a total of 198kg and Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana of Indonesia won bronze. Ri's gold is North Korea's first gold medal at the Asian Games in Japan. North Korea has collected one bronze medal in soft tennis so far. Ri has won the lightest weight class at three consecutive Asian Games, dating back to the 2018 competition. She won the world championships in 2024 and 2025.