Lightweight (≤58 kilograms), Women

There had been little consistency in the women’s lightweight division at the World Weightlifting Championships since the 2012 Summer Olympics and one of the most promising lifters, Deng Mengrong of China, the 2014 World champion and 2015 runner-up, was injured prior to the Rio Games and did not attend. Moreover, Azerbaijan’s Boyanka Kostova, who was not only the world record holder in the snatch and total, but was also the 2015 World and 2012, 2015, and 2016 European Champion, failed a re-test of her doping samples from London and was not present at the 2016 Olympics. This left Kuo Hsing-Chun of Chinese Taipei, the 2013 World champion and 2015 bronze medalist, as a strong favorite for gold, although there were two other recent World medalists at the tournament: Thailand’s Sukanya Srisurat (bronze in 2014) and Ecuador’s Alexandra Escobar (silver in 2013), who was competing in her fourth Olympics.

Srisurat dominated the snatch element by setting an Olympic record of 110 kg, 8 kg ahead of her nearest competitors, Kuo and compatriot Pimsiri Sirikaew, the 2012 Olympic runner-up. These same three lifters were also well ahead of the competition in the clean and jerk, with Srisurat and Sirikaew both lifting 130 kg to take gold and silver respectively, and Kuo 1 kg behind them for bronze. Japan’s Mikiko Ando was the next best in the clean and jerk, with a lift of 124 kg, but a low performance in the snatch left her in fifth behind Escobar. The Ecuadorian’s fourth-place finish was her country’s best in the sport, while Mattie Sasser, who finished 11th, made her own mark on sports history by becoming the first Marshallese Olympic weightlifter.