15 Year-Old Youngest Weight Lifter Conquered China

Lim Jung-Hwa (15, Gyungsang Middle School, photo) won over the Chinese in the world championship, for the first time in the Korean weightlifting history.

Lim won yesterday two gold medals by lifting 105 kg in the jerk lift with a combined total of 187.5 kg in the 53 kg weight class, defeating China`s Baisia (102.5 kg in the jerk lift, 185 kg in total) at the World Junior Girl`s Weightlifting Championship at Thessalonica, Greece.

This is the first time in the weightlifting history that a Korean woman has won a gold medal defeating the Chinese weightlifter at the world championship.

Lim was selected as the youngest national team member at her age of 14 years 2 months in February this year. With this victory, she proved herself that she is a talented weightlifter who can earn the gold medals not only in the Pusan Asian Games, but also in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Lim broke the Korea`s junior weightlifting record (jerk lift of 102.5 kg, total of 180 kg) in the jerk lift and the combined total. And she established the same record with Baisia lifting 82.5 kg which also exceeded the junior weightlifting record by 2.5 kg. But she was decided as a second place because of her heavier weight than Baisia, and thus she failed to win the triple-crown.

Lim had won the triple crown in the jerk lift, snatch, and combined total, defeating the world-best Chinese weightlifters in the 53 kg weight class at the second Asian Children`s Weightlifting Championship in November last year.

Lee Hyun-Doo ruchi@donga.com