On December 13th, weightlifting at the 33rd SEA Games officially began with the first event in the men's 60kg category. As predicted by experts, Thai weightlifter Theerapong Silachai proved he had no worthy opponent and convincingly won the gold medal with a total lift of 304kg.
The athlete born in 2003 successfully lifted 126kg, 129kg, and 131kg in all three snatch attempts. However, in the clean and jerk, Theerapong Silachai caused a shock by successfully lifting 173kg, not only bringing home the gold medal for Thailand but also setting a new world record in the clean and jerk.
Athlete Theerapong Silachai set the first world record at the 33rd SEA Games (Photo: Thairath).
Previously, no athlete in the 60kg weight class in the world had ever successfully lifted 172kg in the clean and jerk, but the Thai athlete caused a sensation by setting a weight that was 1kg higher than the standard set by the International Weightlifting Federation for recognition as a world record.
"I'm very happy with this record, but I feel the weight is still too light. I think I might be able to succeed at 175kg or 176kg," said Theerapong Silachai after setting a new world record in the 60kg weight class.
This is not the first time Theerapong Silachai has set a world record, as the Thai athlete previously won the gold medal in the 55kg weight class at the 2022 World Weightlifting Championships. The weightlifter achieved a total lift of 265kg, breaking the junior world record in the clean and jerk of 148kg.
In 2023, Silachai competed in a higher weight class at the 2023 Asian Weightlifting Championships, in the men's 61kg category. He achieved a total lift of 299kg, winning a bronze medal but setting a new world record in the clean and jerk with 167kg.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Silachai competed in the men's 61kg weight class and won a silver medal with a total lift of 303kg, just 7kg less than the champion Li Fabin of China.
Notably, in the 60kg weight category, 19-year-old Vietnamese weightlifter K'Duong won the bronze medal with a total lift of 289 kg, including 125 kg in the snatch and 164 kg in the clean and jerk. The silver medal went to Ricko Saputra of Indonesia with a total lift of 295 kg.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/ngoi-sao-cu-ta-thai-lan-lap-ky-luc-the-gioi-o-sea-games-33-20251213225130371.htm
Comment (0)