(Nagoya = Yonhap News) Reporter Dae-ho Lee = The record-breaking challenge of becoming the first Korean female weightlifter to win two consecutive Asian Games was unfortunately not fruitful, but the value of the medal lifted by Park Hye-jeong (23, Goyang City Hall) is brilliant.
Park Hye-jung won a silver medal after a fierce battle in the finals of the women's 86kg and over weightlifting class at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Small and Medium Business Promotion Center in Nagoya, Japan on the 29th.
Women's weightlifting legend Li Wen-wen (China) took the gold medal with 140 kg in snatch, 170 kg in clean and jerk, and 310 kg in total, while Hye-jung Park became the silver medalist with 133 kg in snatch, 167 kg in clean and jerk, and 300 kg in total.
This is the second consecutive medal win following the gold medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
Park Hye-jung also achieved the achievement of setting new Korean records in snatch and total.
Uysal Iclef (Qatar), who was considered an 'ambusher', fell far short of Park Hye-jung with a snatch weight of 120kg, a jerk of 153kg, and a total weight of 273kg.
Park Hye-jung once again proved herself to be a solid pillar of Korean weightlifting by never missing the podium at every major international event, leading up to her silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
On this day, the final platform was a more intense battle than any other competition.
The weight class landscape was shaken when world record holder Lee Wen-won, who had been on a temporary retirement after winning two consecutive gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics, announced a surprise return with the goal of a 'Grand Slam'.
In addition, the presence of Eclef, ranked second in the world, who came up with tremendous momentum at the Asian Championships last May, also brought great pressure.
Park Hye-jung had to fight against extreme pressure between Lee Clef, who was raising the record by 20 kg a year, and veteran Lee Won-won.
Ahead of the competition, Park Hye-jeong said, "It is true that there was a lot of pressure as it was my second Asian Games after winning the gold medal in Hangzhou, but I prepared for the match with a positive mind." She faced the barbell without wavering.
The unique tenacity of deliberately not creating a pre-game routine or even a jinx to eliminate distracting thoughts was also displayed in Nagoya.
Even in the midst of record competition among strong players, Park Hye-jung believed only in the breathing and timing she had practiced, lifted the iron bar heavily, and fought without backing down until the end.
At the age of 14, when she was in her first year of middle school, Park Hye-jeong was so thrilled after watching a video of Jang Mi-ran's performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics on YouTube that she went to the Ansan City Sports Council.
Within just a few years of picking up the barbell, he stood tall as Korea's number one heavyweight, but his journey was not always smooth.
There were times when I cried out of frustration in the tunnel of terrible injuries that prevented me from training as much as I wanted.
It was the encouragement of her older sister, who was the most precious person to Park Hye-jung, who encouraged her every time, saying, "Don't be impatient and focus on what you can do."
Park Hye-jeong, who learned the importance of patience and body management using her older sister's support as a stepping stone, proved on the platform the value of her sweat at this competition as well, regardless of the color of the medal.
Park Hye-jung has always said, "Rather than a player who simply gets good results, I want to be remembered as a player who constantly works hard and doesn't give up even in difficult moments and gets back up again."
Park Hye-jeong's challenge, which won a valuable medal amidst the return of a legend and the fierce chase of an emerging powerhouse, is not the end but a new beginning.
Although the threshold for winning two games in a row was high, for a young player in his early 20s armed with sincerity and composure, this tournament will undoubtedly serve as a solid stepping stone to leap forward to greater heights.
