Park Hye-jung wins silver in weightlifting super-heavyweight despite losing 4 kg in Japan [Aichi-Nagoya AG]

Park Hye-jung, 23, claimed a silver medal in the women's super-heavyweight (86 kg and above) weightlifting event at the Asian Games on Tuesday.

Competing at the SME Support Center in Nagoya, Park lifted 133 kg in the snatch and 167 kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 300 kg, finishing second behind Li Wenwen of China, who totaled 310 kg. The bronze medal went to Oumaima Ikhlef of Qatar with 290 kg.

The result gave Park medals at two consecutive Asian Games, following her gold at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, and she set new South Korean records in both the snatch and the total.

Although she fell short of a back-to-back title, Park was all smiles. "This medal makes me happier than the one in Hangzhou," she said.

"I trained really hard back in Korea because of the rising challenger from Qatar," Park said. "It made me feel proud to think that if I keep pushing, an Olympic gold medal is within reach. I'm a little disappointed with the clean and jerk, but I'm so happy to have added 2 kg to my snatch and set a new Korean record."

Park appeared to be in peak condition on the platform, but the lead-up had not been without difficulty.

Despite competing in the super-heavyweight category — where maintaining body weight is essential — she lost 4 kg after arriving in Japan.

Park hesitated before opening up. "Can I say this?" she said, then explained: "The food on the cruise ship where the team was staying didn't quite suit my taste. I thought Japan would have plenty of delicious food, so I didn't bring much Korean food with me — and that made things tough."

Li Wenwen is both a rival and a close friend to Park. Park even wore a Chinese national team pin badge on her accreditation card — a gift from Li. "We cheer each other on before a match and say 'good job' afterward," Park said. "She's both my goal and my friend." Park added that Li told her she would not compete at the World Championships in Ningbo, China, next month, with Li Yan taking her place instead, and that the two agreed to meet at the Olympic qualifier in Qatar.

Park's next major target is the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"My snatch went well, so I want to work on my clean and jerk and lift more than 300 kg total," she said. "When I get home, the National Sports Festival is right away, and then I need to go into the Jincheon National Training Center to prepare for the World Championships. After I secure my spot at the LA Olympics, I'll keep breaking my own records so the gap with Li Wenwen doesn't widen."