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Things started off with a bang at the 2024 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup, thanks to weightlifter Won Hyon Sim. Sim, the inaugural world record holder in the Women’s 45-kilogram category, further cemented her dominance in the featherweight division when she set three new world records in a row.
This year’s World Cup, held in Phuket, Thailand from Mar. 31 to Apr. 11, 2024, is the final qualification opportunity for the Paris Olympics later this summer.
[Check In: 2024 IWF World Cup Results]
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Neither the North Korean weightlifting contingent, nor Sim’s weight class of 45 kilograms, will be at Paris 2024 in August. Regardless, she committed to starting off this year’s Cup with a bang by lifting the following:
Sim’s 87-kilogram (191.8-pound) snatch was only the 21st Group A lift of the entire competition, according to Weightlifting House founder & commentator Seb Ostrowicz.
In the back half of the session, Sim was pushed hard by Thailand native Siriwimon Pramongkhol, who lifted 101 kilograms on her final attempt. Sim followed with 106 on her second attempt, securing the world record Total, only to return two minutes after and push it three kilograms higher with her final lift — the bar weighing nearly 20 kilograms more than double her own weight.
Like many members of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or PRK) weightlifting team, Sim is something of a mystery. The DPRK vanished from the international weightlifting circuit in 2019 and only recently returned to IWF stages in 2023.
Since then, they’ve been on an absolute tear, claiming piles of world records, many of which were previously in the hands of Team China — the world’s most dominant roster of weightlifters.
Prior to Phuket, Sim had only three IWF-recognized competition appearances under her belt:
She’s also the first and only 45-kilogram weightlifter to set world records in her division since the category was created by the IWF in 2018.
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Jake is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a B.S. in Exercise Science. He began his career as a weightlifting coach before transitioning into sports media to pursue his interest in journalism.
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