If you missed it, earlier this week Taiwanese 58kg weightlifter Kuo Hsing-Chun had a commanding performance at the 2017 Summer Universiade in Taipei. She claimed first in her weight class and set a new world record in the clean & jerk. Hsing-Chun lifted a huge 142kg (310.8 lbs) on her third clean & jerk attempt to make history.
To top off her epic performance, Hsing-Chun was awarded prize money for her world record and first place finish. Taiwan’s Minister of Education Pan Wen-Chung presented Hsing-Chun with NT $1,000,000 for her world record, which converts to about $32,997 in USD. According to the IWF, she’ll receive another NT $900,000 ($29,737 USD) for her gold medal finish.
Check out her 142kg clean & jerk below.
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The IWF reported that upon reception of her prize money Monday, Hsing-Chun stood with her coach Lin Jing-Neng and teared up saying, “It was the people of Taiwan who helped me lift 142 kilograms.”
In previous competitions where Hsing-Chun has earned prize money, she’s always made a point to give back to her community. In the IWF’s press release they mention that in 2014, “She chose to donate an ambulance after a weightlifting injury in 2014 left her wheelchair-bound for a month. Kuo said the accident allowed her to better understand how people feel when waiting for an ambulance.”
This year, Hsing-Chun plans to give back to the children of her community. The IWF’s release states, “Growing up in a low-income neighborhood, she is now giving back to her community and will once again be donating her prize from this most recent win to help children in need.”
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Hsing-Chun is about as decorated as they come at a young 23 years old. This win is her second gold at the Summer Universiade. She’s claimed gold three times at the Asian Championships, once at the the World Championships, and took home bronze at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.
Feature image screenshot from @atginsta Instagram page.
