Hou Zhihui of China celebrates after winning the gold medal in women's weightlifting 49-kilogram final in the Tokyo Olympics, July 24, 2021. /CFP
Hou Zhihui claimed the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics women's weightlifting 49-kilogram final, the second gold for Team China on Saturday.
Hou lifted 94, 116 and 210kgs in snatch, clean & jerk and total in the final. All three numbers set new Olympic records for the women's 49kg weightlifting event.
"It's different than before this time," said Hou to China Media Group (CMG) after the match. "I used to worry about getting hurt when I was lifting, but this time I was able to invest all in, spare no efforts and leave no regret. It felt fantastic focusing on nothing but competition."
Hou kept the gold medal in her hand for a long time. She said she cried immediately after walking off the podium because she knew her dream had finally come true.