Olympics-Weightlifting-Taiwan’s Kuo wins gold in women’s 59kg

TOKYO (Reuters) -Taiwan’s Kuo Hsing-Chun won the gold medal in the women’s 59kg weightlifting event at the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday, setting Olympic records in all three categories but falling short of her own world record.

Kuo dropped to the floor with a bitter smile after failing at a lift of 141 kg in the clean and jerk to break her record of 140 kg.

“I was competing against myself, and I wanted to break the world record,” Kuo told reporters.

“I am very happy that I put all the pieces together now, adding in the Olympic gold medal today,” she said.

Polina Guryeva won silver, Turkmenistan’s first medal at the Tokyo Games, while Japan’s Mikiko Andoh earned Japan’s first medal in the sport by claiming the bronze.

Andoh burst into tears on the stage after her final attempt at the clean and jerk and was helped up by two coaches.

The Japanese lifter said she injured her knee this month by dropping a barbell when she was practising.

“I thought that was the end of it when that happened,” Andoh said. “I was not able to do the clean and jerk until I got here today.”

(Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Junko Fujita; Editing by Peter Rutherford and Ed Osmond)

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Weightlifting - Women’s 59kg - Medal Ceremony - Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo, Japan - July 27, 2021. Gold medalist Kuo Hsing-Chun of Taiwan reacts. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Weightlifting - Women’s 59kg - Group A - Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo, Japan - July 27, 2021. Kuo Hsing-Chun of Taiwan reacts after failing a lift. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Weightlifting - Women’s 59kg - Medal Ceremony - Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo, Japan - July 27, 2021. Silver medalist Polina Guryeva of Turkmenistan reacts. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Weightlifting - Women’s 59kg - Medal Ceremony - Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo, Japan - July 27, 2021. Gold medalist Kuo Hsing-Chun of Taiwan, silver medalist Polina Guryeva of Turkmenistan and bronze medalist Mikiko Andoh of Japan pose. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido