By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
South Korean weightlifters failed to reach the medal podium at the World Weightlifting Championships held Saturday at Kintex in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.
Ji Hun-min finished 10th in the men's 62-kilogram class, lifting a total of 292 kilograms, while Im Joung-hwa had combined lifts of 188 to place sixth in the women's 48-kilogram class.
Ding Jianjun of China secured the gold medal on the men's side after lifting 146 kilograms in the snatch and 170 in the clean and jerk to total 316, followed by Indonesian Irawan Eko and Yang Fan, also of China, who hoisted 315 and 314, respectively.
Later in the day, Wang Mingjuan helped China sweep the first three gold medals of the event with her fourth world title in the women's 48-kilogram division.
Olympic champion Long Qingquan of China, 18, also won a gold medal, in the men's 56-kilogram class Friday.
Ji, the first Korean competitor of the annual meet, hoisted 137 kilograms in his second try and moved up to 141, one kilogram shy of his Korean record, in his last attempt, but couldn't manage it.
In the jerk, the 25-year-old ended up with 155 kilograms, the weight he lifted at his first attempt.
Im, 22, lifted 85 kilograms in the snatch and 103 in the clean and jerk.