Tragic 170kg Lift: Weightlifting Veteran Won Jong-bum Concludes Campaign with Disqualification

South Korean heavyweight weightlifting stalwart Won Jong-bum (30, Gangwon State Office) saw his virtually final Asian Games challenge come to a futile end.

Won was disqualified after failing all three of his attempts in the snatch during the men's 95kg weightlifting event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at the Fukiage Hall in Nagoya, Japan, on September 28.

Under the rules stating that a competitor who fails to post a mark in the snatch cannot advance to the clean and jerk, Won was ultimately disqualified, stepping off the platform without even getting a chance to grip the barbell for the clean and jerk.


Having won gold medals in the clean and jerk and total at the 2023 World Championships and a clean and jerk gold at the 2024 World Championships, Won entered the event as a strong medal contender, ranked second in the world.

Because his competitors successively lifted 170kg, he opted for 170kg right from his first snatch attempt in pursuit of a medal, but he repeatedly failed to raise the barbell above his head.

When his third attempt, taken with his back against the wall, also ended in failure, he had no choice but to turn away with a bitter expression.

Thus, the Asian Games journey of Won—who had long led the national team as a veteran and sought to burn his final spark at what was effectively his last Asian Games—came to a close.

The gold medal in this weight class went to Ali Alipour of Iran, who lifted 180kg in the snatch, 218kg in the clean and jerk, for a total of 398kg.

The silver medal went to Nurgissa Adiletuly of Kazakhstan with a total of 394kg, and the bronze went to Tuyi of China with a total of 384kg.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.