Ri - Li Battle: Women's 53-Kg Category
by Randall J. Strossen, IronMind Enterprises, Inc. © 2002
Warsaw, Poland – The women's 53-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships proved to be really competitive, as Ri Song-Hui (PRK) and Li Xuejiu CHN) battled it out for top honors.
Ri won the duel in the snatch, with 97.5 kg, while Li edged Polsak (THA) on body weight to win the silver with her 95-kg lift. The Ri-Li hot battle intensified in the clean in jerk as Ri broke Li's world record (125 kg) on her second attempt with 125.5 kg. Li answered with a huge 127.5 on her third attempt, to regain her world record. Ri responded by making the same weight on her third attempt, to tie the new world record and win the gold on total.
Besides the world record in the jerk, Li ended the evening with the gold in the jerk, along with the silver in the snatch and total.