The 2024 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships in Manama, Bahrain, from Dec. 6-15, 2024, has continued to blaze new pages in the record books before new weight categories become the norm in June 2025.
Ruk Si of North Korea, competing in the Women’s 64KG class, was among those who forged into new territory that no one else in her weight category had previously gone before. She scored the overall gold medal, thanks to her world record total of 246 kilograms, half of which comprised a 149-kilogram world record clean & jerk.
Ruk Si’s lifts can be seen in the video below, courtesy of the IWF’s Instagram page:
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2024 IWF World Championships Results — Women’s 76KG
- Hyang Kuk Song (PRK) — 116/148 — 264 — New Clean & Jerk & Total World Records
- Miyareth Mendoza Carabali — 111/137 — 248
- Sarah Ovayioza Matthew — 110/135 — 245
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Ruk Si utilized a split jerk during her world record clean & jerk. The barbell moved cleanly from the floor to the front rack position before she regripped and set up for the split jerk.
The motion to press the barbell overhead appeared undisrupted, but there was a moment where onlookers might have thought the weight would not be stabilized overhead. Those concerns were washed away when Ruk Si demonstrated control of her body and the barbell post jerk with both feet aligned and steady.
Once the head judge gave the down command, white lights confirmed the lift. Ruk Si celebrated with a couple of fist pumps and a roar of triumph before a humble bow to those who witnessed history.
The 2024 IWF World Championships conclude on Dec. 15, 2024. Thus far, the USA’s lone medal was achieved by Olivia Reeves, who earned gold in the Women’s 71KG class.
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Featured image: @iwfnet on Instagram
