South Korean weightlifters Won Jong-beom (Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Office) and Kim Sung-min (Gyeongsangnam-do Office) fell short of winning medals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
On September 28, at the Nagoya Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion Hall in Aichi Prefecture, Won attempted to lift 170kg in all three rounds of the men's 95kg final but was unable to complete any lifts, resulting in him not reaching the podium.
Ranked second in the world, Won had high expectations after winning the overall title at the World Championships for two consecutive years (2023-2024). However, he ended his Asian Games journey without a medal, following a similar outcome at the Hangzhou Games.
Kim Sung-min also competed on the same day in the men's 85kg final A group, lifting 155kg in the snatch and 196kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 351kg, finishing in sixth place. The gold medal in this category was claimed by North Korea's Ro Kwang-ryol, who lifted 165kg in the snatch, 214kg in the clean and jerk, and a total of 379kg.
North Korea's weightlifting team has now secured seven gold medals in the competition, with Ro Kwang-ryol joining fellow gold medalists Park Myung-jin (men's 65kg), Ri Won-joo (men's 70kg), Ri Seong-geum (women's 49kg), Kang Hyun-kyung (women's 53kg), Oh Gwang-ok (women's 57kg), and Song Guk-hyang (women's 77kg). In total, North Korea has won 10 medals in weightlifting, including two silver and one bronze.
The North Korean delegation, which sent 10 athletes (five men and five women) to the weightlifting events, saw all of its members become medalists.
In contrast, South Korea's weightlifting team had previously won one gold, two silver, and three bronze medals at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, but has yet to secure any medals in this tournament.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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