China's Liao, Yang shatter world records at 2025 Asian Weightlifting Championships

At the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Jiangshan, China's home favorite Yang Qiuxia made headlines by setting a new world record in the women's 71kg snatch on Tuesday.

The contest heated up with both Yang and the DPRK's Song Kuk Hyang launching their first lifts at 115kg. But Song struggled with her initial attempt and was called for a no-lift. Yang meanwhile was able to compete her effort with no issues.

She then raised the bar to successfully lift 120 kg. Song took a bold leap to tie the world record with a successful lift of 121kg on her final attempt, putting the pressure back on Yang. Yang then loaded the bar to 122kg, just beyond the existing world record. With seconds ticking down, Yang managed to hoist the weight overhead, but a lengthy video review was needed to confirm the lift. After ten nail-biting minutes, the verdict came in that Yang's lift stood, earning her the snatch gold and setting a new world record of 122.

In the clean & jerk, however, Song took the spotlight, opening with a confident lift of 145 and audaciously skipping to 155 on her second attempt, a move that shattered both the clean & jerk and total world records. With a combined total of 276, Song secured gold in both categories. Yang managed a lift of 140 in the clean & jerk, totaling 262 and earning silver medals in both events.

In the women's 76kg division, world champion Liao Guifang showcased her dominance. In the snatch, she completed all three attempts, culminating in a world record-setting final lift of 125kg. Liao continued to assert authority in the clean & jerk, successfully lifting 154kg on her second attempt, which helped her smash the total world record with a combined weight of 279kg. Although Liao's ambitious attempt to break the clean & jerk world record with a lift of 157 fell short, she still walked away with all three gold medals.

In the women's 81kg class, world champion Wu Yan secured gold in the snatch with a lift of 116kg from her second attempt, establishing a massive lead over South Korea's Kim Iseul, who trailed by a full 11 kilograms. The clean & jerk proved to be equally successful for Wu. She nailed all three of her attempts and her 147 lift, and combined with a total of 263 to claim two more titles.