Weightlifter Kuo wins Chinese Taipei's first gold at Tokyo Olympics

TOKYO, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Kuo Hsing-Chun of Chinese Taipei won the women's weightlifting 59kg gold medal with a total lifts of 236kg, bringing the first gold to Chinese Taipei at Tokyo 2020 here on Tuesday.

Kuo, the world champion in 2018 and 2019, came into the clean and jerk competition with a seven-kilo buffer in the snatch. After jerking 125kg in her first attempt, she had already secured the title with a total of 228kg.

She also rewrote the snatch, clean and jerk and total Olympic records as the International Weightlifting Federation just set the Olympic standard following the new categories classification for the sport.

Then the 27-year-old lifter began her solo in her last attempts, trying to break the current world record of 140kg with an ambitious 141kg attempt, but failed.

"I aimed for the world record. I couldn't achieve that today which was a bit of a regret, but I did get the gold medal, so I'm happy," Kuo told the press.

"I didn't think much about other competitors. I was very focused on myself. I have my own goals, and I was very focused on achieving my own goals," she added.

Kuo, bronze medalist in the women's 58kg at the Rio Games in 2016, held three world records in this class.

"I will continue on my athletic journey. Next I have the Asian competition, which I'm looking forward to. I hope that at the next Olympics I can get another medal."

Polina Guryeva of Turkmenistan, fourth-place finisher at the Asian championships in April, took the silver at 217kg, while Mikiko Andoh of Japan, bronze medalist at the Asian Games in 2018, had bronze at 214kg.

Guryeva also gave her country its first Olympic medal ever. "I am really proud about this and I think people in my country will be happy about this. I will continue my training and try to have more success," said Guryeva.

Andoh, 28, tried very hard in her final lift to hoist 120kg. She stayed on the stage while crying for a little after she succeeded.

"After the snatch, my feet were hurting so badly that I was hardly able to walk. It's mental power pushed me through the clean and jerk. That is why I felt really relieved," said Andoh.

"I'm very happy that I got a bronze medal. This is something that I can show to people."