Yang Yang strikes double gold at World Weightlifting Championships

China's Yang Yang secured two gold medals in the men's 60kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, on Tuesday. Facing rival Pang Un Chol of the DPRK, the 23-year-old prevailed to take gold in the snatch and overall events. 

Fresh from his victory at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games last month, Yang lifted 136kg in the snatch and 168kg in the clean and jerk to finish with a combined 304kg, four kilograms ahead of Pang.

The Chinese lifter opened the snatch competition with a successful 132kg attempt before improving to 136kg on his second lift, which proved enough to secure gold. He then attempted 139kg but was unsuccessful, finishing five kilograms below his winning snatch result at the Asian Games.

Pang, who had narrowly lost to Yang at the continental competition, managed 130kg in the snatch to take silver, while compatriot Pak In Song earned bronze with 129kg.

The battle for medals intensified in the clean and jerk, where Pak produced a winning lift of 171kg. Pang, the world record holder in the discipline with 174kg, recovered from two failed attempts to complete 170kg on his final lift, securing silver.

Yang successfully lifted 162kg and 168kg before missing 171kg, leaving him third in the clean and jerk standings. However, his advantage from the snatch was enough to secure the overall world title.

Pang finished second in the total with 300kg, ahead of Pak, who also accumulated 300kg but placed third under the competition's tiebreaking rules.

The result gave Yang his second major international victory in just over a month, having also defeated Pang to win the men's 60kg title at the recent Asian Games.