TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Kuo Hsing-chun (郭婞淳), Taiwan's weightlifting champion, aims to defend her title at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Her biggest challenge comes from China's Luo Shifang (羅詩芳), who competes in the same weight class, Women's 59kg.
Luo, 23, emerged as a formidable competitor after sweeping three gold medals at the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships. In April, she broke Kuo's world record with a total lift of 248 kilograms at the 2024 IWF World Cup in Thailand, topping the Olympic ranking.
Kuo dominated the Women's 59kg category at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, winning gold with little opposition. She has consistently won gold medals since the 2018 Asian Games, including at the Asian Weightlifting Championships, World Weightlifting Championships, and the Olympics.
However, Kuo has struggled with injuries since her Tokyo victory. Over the past three years, she has faced recurring back and thigh injuries, which have impacted her training regimen.
Last year, at the Asian Games, Kuo competed while injured, lifting 101 kilograms in the snatch and 126 kilograms in the clean and jerk to win bronze. After the competition, she tearfully expressed disappointment with her performance. Luo secured silver with lifts of 107 kilograms and 133 kilograms, respectively.
