Ju exceeded a world record weight that had stood for five full years.

Last updated on April 4th, 2024

Records continue to fall left, right, and center at this year’s IWF World Cup. The 2024 Cup, which runs from Mar. 31 to Apr. 11 in Phuket, Thailand, is the last stop on the 18-month journey to the 2024 Olympics in Paris this summer.

North Korean weightlifter Ri Won Ju capped off the Men’s 67-kilogram event in spectacular fashion when he set a new world record in the clean & jerk; 189 kilograms, or 416.6 pounds.

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Ju faced stiff competition in the snatch portion from Italy’s Sergio Massidda, who typically competes in the Men’s 61 kilogram. Massidda placed first in the snatches with 145 kilograms, but couldn’t contend with Ju’s strength during the clean & jerks.

Ri Won Ju | 2024 IWF World Cup

Prior to the Cup, the clean & jerk world record was already in the hands of North Korea. Pak Jong-Ju hit 188 back in 2019 and stood uncontested for the last five years.

[Related: Why Can’t North Korea Compete in Weightlifting at the 2024 Olympics?]

North Korea Returns in Force

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or PRK) returned to the international weightlifting circuit in the back half of 2023 after a five-year hiatus from the sport. Since their comeback, PRK athletes have claimed more world records in less than a year’s time than any other nation by a large margin.

However, the People’s Republic is ineligible to compete in weightlifting at the Paris Olympics this August for failing to appear at mandatory events earlier in the qualification cycle.

Without having to abide by the qualification structure that binds other nations, PRK have had free reign to pursue world records in non-Olympic weight categories such as the Women’s 64-kilogram or Men’s 67-kilogram, as Ju did. Notably, in the Women’s 45-kilogram featherweight division, PRK athlete Won Hyon-Sim is the only individual to reach world-record weights since the division was created in 2018.

If North Korea makes an appearance at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, expect them to be serious gold medal contenders in almost every category.

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Featured Image courtesy of Weightlifting House