Taiwanese weightlifter Chen Guan-ling yesterday won bronze in the clean and jerk at this year’s World Weightlifting Championships in Forde, Norway, which is being held from Oct. 2 to Saturday next week.
The 20-year-old lifted 113kg in the clean and jerk to secure the medal. However, fouls in the snatch left her without a score in that discipline, ruling her out of contention for the overall medal, which combines both lifts.
Chen also faced an added challenge heading into the event, as she had to cut weight to compete in the women’s 53kg category, as her usual 55kg division was not included in the championships.
Photo: Huang Chiao-wen, CNA
The Norway meet was her first time competing at 53kg.
Chen’s coach Hsu Ying-hsi said that although Chen had to cut weight to enter the 53kg division, nutritionists at Taiwan’s National Sports Training Center helped keep her in good condition.
Competing in the unfamiliar 53kg class, she failed her opening lift of 89kg, then raised the bar to 90kg on her second attempt, but was again unsuccessful.
Determined, she tried once more at 90kg and completed the lift, only for the judges to rule it invalid due to a bent wrist, leaving her without a score in the event.
Hsu said that while it was regrettable that Chen’s snatch was disqualified, she still performed well overall.
Chen is one of Taiwan’s rising stars in weightlifting.
At the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Jiangshan, China, in May, she claimed three silver medals, in the snatch (83kg), clean and jerk (110kg) and the combined total (194kg).