Hou Zhihui Won Bronze at the IWF Grand Prix in Doha, Qatar

You could say that yesterday was China’s day at the IWF Grand Prix in Doha. After securing the gold medal in the 49 kg women’s 

category, the team also managed to get another medal – a bronze by the Olympic champion from Tokyo, Hou Zhihui. 

Just three years ago, Hou managed to set three Olympic records and win the gold medal at Tokyo 2020, but as of recently, she hasn’t been showing the same kind of steady results and has fallen behind her teammate Jiang Huihua, who managed to finish top of the podium in this competition. 

On the second day of the IWF Grand Prix in Doha, Hou managed to lift a 96 kg snatch and 113 kg clean and jerk for a total of 209 kg, which earned her third place on the podium. However, it’s important to note that her snatch attempt was the best one of the entire 49 kg field, so she technically won the gold medal for that lift.

More About Hou Zhihui

Hou Zhihui has set more than eleven senior world records throughout her illustrious weightlifting career. She was a one-time World Champion in 2018 in Ashgabat, setting a world record total for the 49 kg category, and an Olympic gold medalist from the last Games in Tokyo, where she again finished with a world record. Along with that, she managed to win the Asian Championships twice – in 2019 and 2020 – and in the “pandemic” edition of the competition, she again managed to beat her previous achievement and set a new world record total of 213 kg. 

If you want to see Zhihui’s performance from yesterday and other key moments from the competition, please head over to our video for all the highlights.

Additionally, our coverage of the IWF Grand Prix will continue, and you can find the latest results and news on our page. 

For Hou Zhihui and team China, the next stop after this World Championship is the Asian Championship and Olympic Games in Paris next year. The team is going to start preparations soon so we will be expecting news about their training camp at the beginning of 2024.