Kim Soo-hyun’s words made the solemn
In the women's 76kg weightlifting class at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, North Korean athletes maintained a solemn expression even as they hung gold and silver medals side by side around their necks. What made them smile, even if only for a moment, was the cheerfulness of Kim Soo-hyun (28, Busan City Sports Council), the bronze medalist.
North Korea's Song Kuk-hyang and Jung Chun-hee, and South Korea's Kim Soo-hyun attended the press conference for medalists in the women's 76kg group A weightlifting event at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held at the Xiaoshan Sports Center in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, on the 5th. Song Guk-hyang won with a total of 267kg (117kg in snatch, 150kg in clean and jerk), beating Chunhee Jeong with 266kg (117kg in snatch, 149kg in jerk and jerk), and Soo-hyun Kim took third place with a total of 243kg (105kg in snatch, 138kg in jerk and jerk). It went up.
Liao Guifang (China), who was one of the strong contenders for the championship, lifted 113 kg in the first snatch and dropped the barbell while attempting 118 kg in the second. He was disqualified after giving up the clean and jerk as if it was straining his body.
Gold medalist Song Kuk-hyang said with a solemn expression, “Today’s goal was not this record (267 kg) but the world record (North Korea’s Lim Jeong-sim’s 278 kg). “It’s really unfortunate,” he said, before adding, “The Chinese player (Liao Guifang) was unable to participate today, and I’m worried that the injury may be serious.”
Jung Chun-hee, who won the silver medal, also clapped and said, “Today is the Chinese athlete’s birthday, so I would like to congratulate her.” and “Happy birthday.” He continued, “It’s my birthday, but I didn’t play well, so I’m very worried about what happened. “I want the Chinese player to get better quickly and compete with his skills,” he added.
The atmosphere at the press conference became heavier as Song Guo-hyang and Jeong Chun-hee expressed their worries about Liao Guifang rather than being happy about winning a medal. It was a situation that could be interpreted to mean that they wanted China's Liao Guifang to appear at the medalist press conference rather than third place Kim Soo-hyun.
Kim Soo-hyun said, “I participated in my third Asian Games and finally won a medal. I was so happy that I didn’t even know that the Chinese athlete was injured… . “Happy birthday to the Chinese player,” he said. At Kim Soo-hyun's unexpected words, Song Guk-hyang and Jeong Chun-hee bowed their heads, shook their shoulders and laughed.
Kim Soo-hyun continued, “Among North Korean players, I liked Lim Jeong-sim, and it is an honor to play with two players who are better than Jeong-sim. When I said, “I want to set a bigger goal and do as well as these friends and go up to the next level,” Song Guk-hyang and Jeong Chun-hee looked somewhat surprised.
Song Guk-hyang and Jeong Chun-hee, who soon regained their solemn expressions, continued their serious expressions. Song Guk-hyang said emphatically, “It is the consistent determination and goal of our Joseon athletes to win at the forefront of the world and to win comfortably even when they win.”
When asked the secret behind North Korea's weightlifting winning gold medals in five weight classes in the women's division at the Asian Games, Song Guk-hyang was sobbing and could not speak for a moment. He said, “I think we should repay the love of our dear Marshal Kim Jong-un,” and “As the saying goes, behind a great student is a great teacher, behind our achievements today is the hard work of our comrades. “I want to boast widely about this great coach and leader,” he said.
North Korean weightlifters appeared on the international stage four years after the 2019 World Championships. In the aftermath of COVID-19, borders were closed and the country was banned from participating by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for failing to participate in the Tokyo Olympics. Despite a gap of four years, North Korean weightlifting is showing its presence by overwhelming even China, which prides itself on being the world's best.