The Women’s 49-kilogram event at the 2024 Olympics didn’t play out the way anyone expected. Heading into the competition on Aug. 7, Hou Zhihui of Team China was the presumptive gold medalist.
Zhihui would ultimately win her second Olympic gold, but her victory didn’t come nearly as easily as anyone — including Zhihui herself — likely expected.
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In the final moments of the event and with one attempt remaining, Zhihui lifted 117 kilograms, or 257.9 pounds, in the clean & jerk to advance from bronze to gold and set a new Olympic record in the process.
Hou Zhihui | 2024 Olympics Women’s 49-Kilogram
Zhihui, the world record holder in the snatch, had the deck stacked in her favor prior to the commencement of the session. However, things unraveled for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Champion as the competition progressed, leading to a surprisingly uneven performance:
- Snatch: 89x, 89, 93x
- Clean & Jerk: 110, 117x, 117 | Olympic Record
- Total: 206
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Despite being the strongest 49-kilogram snatcher in the world, Zhihui closed out the first half of the session in second place behind 21-year-old Romanian superstar Mihaela Cambei.
Cambei had been on an absolute tear throughout 2024, pushing her strength to new heights at every competition and, when the cards were on the table at the Olympic Games, threatening China’s dominance over one of its signature divisions.
However, Chinese weightlifters are renowned as perhaps the best in the world for their ferocity on the platform. Zhihui had two attempts at 117 kilograms and failed the first. But her last-ditch effort demoted Cambei from gold to silver.
Zhihui joined teammate Li Fabin, going two-for-two in gold medals on the first day of weightlifting in Paris.
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