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Park hoists three more gold medals, this time in Busan

Published: 21 Oct. 2025, 16:09

Park Hye-jeong competes at the National Sports Festival in Busan on Oct. 21. [NEWS1]

Park Hye-jeong swept gold medals across all three events in the women’s heaviest weight class at the National Sports Festival in Busan on Tuesday.

Park lifted 123 kilograms (271 pounds) in the snatch and 155 kilograms in the clean and jerk for a combined total of 278 kilograms, claiming gold in each category.

Her win came just 10 days after she captured three gold medals at the 2025 World Weightlifting Championships in Førde, Norway, in the women’s over-86 kilogram division.

Still nursing back and knee pain from the world championships, Park successfully lifted 119 kilograms on her second snatch attempt and 123 kilograms on her third, securing the overall lead. She then executed the clean and jerk to finish first in the total as well.

Kim Hyo-eon took silver with a total of 262 kilograms after lifting 111 kilograms in the snatch and 151 kilograms in the clean and jerk.

Park has now topped the women’s superheavyweight division at the National Sports Festival for three consecutive years since 2023, her first season in the professional ranks.

Although the International Weightlifting Federation adjusted the women’s superheavyweight limit from 87 to 86 kilograms in June, the Korea Weightlifting Federation plans to implement the new categories starting next year.

Unlike the Olympics and Asian Games, where only the combined total counts toward medals, both the World Championships and National Sports Festival award separate medals in the snatch, clean and jerk and total.

“I worried a lot going into this competition, so I’m just glad I finished well,” Park said. “I’ll focus on recovery and prepare for next year. There are two Chinese lifters I need to watch closely, but for now I’m concentrating only on myself.”

Park earned a silver medal at her first Olympic appearance in Paris last year. Her idol, Jang Mi-ran, also won silver in her first Olympics in Athens in 2004 before taking gold in Beijing in 2008.

Park said her immediate focus is on next year’s Asian Games.

“Once I recover from injury, I’ll discuss with my coaches how to raise my numbers with the goal of winning gold at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics,” she said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LEE HAY-JUNE [[email protected]]