▲ Pang Eun-chol waves to the North Korean cheering squad after winning the silver medal in the men's 60kg weightlifting event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Fukiage Hall in Nagoya, Japan, on the 24th.
North Korea's star weightlifter Pang Eun-chol expressed deep regret after narrowly missing out on the gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Pang claimed the silver medal with a total lift of 301kg in the men's 60kg weightlifting event held at the Fukiage Hall in Nagoya, Japan, on the 24th.
During a post-match press conference, Pang repeatedly voiced his disappointment, stating, "I was confident, but the competition did not go as well as I had trained," and, "I put a lot of effort into preparing for this match, but it didn't work out."
Earlier in the day, Pang lifted 127kg in the snatch, finishing in a tie for third place, 11kg behind China's Yang Yang (138kg).
He appeared to be psychologically shaken after his successful first attempt was overturned and ruled a no-lift following a jury review.
However, in his specialty, the clean and jerk, he successfully lifted 170kg on his first attempt to surpass Yang (166kg in the clean and jerk). On his second attempt, he successfully lifted 174kg—tying his own world record—to set a new competition record and narrow the total gap with Yang (304kg overall) to just 3kg.
To challenge for the gold, Pang requested 178kg for his third clean and jerk attempt—an increase of 4kg—but unfortunately failed, forcing him to settle for the silver.
In North Korea, where achievements in international weightlifting competitions are heavily praised, Pang has recently drawn significant attention by consistently delivering top results in every tournament.
North Korean media outlets have highlighted that athletes in lighter weight classes, who usually compete earlier in international weightlifting events, face heavier psychological pressure, heavily spotlighting Pang's feat of bringing home the nation's first medal at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in June 2026.
At the venue, a cheering squad of pro-North Korean residents in Japan wearing matching red t-shirts shouted slogans such as "Sure-Victory Joseon! Pang Eun-chol!" to give him strength.
Teammates Ri Song-gum and Kang Hyun-gyung, who secured gold medals for the North Korean delegation the previous day, also visited the venue to cheer for Pang, but the dramatic late comeback anticipated by North Korea did not materialize.
Following Pang's final attempt, broadcast cameras captured him wiping blood from his palms as he showed his disappointment.
Pang refused to answer a South Korean reporter's question about what was going through his mind during his final third attempt.
Bloodstains remained visible on the palm of his hand as he gestured that he would not take questions.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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