Olympic Weightlifting World Records: Men’s & Women’s Successes Recap 

With every qualifying event, every championships and Olympic Games, each competitor across every weight division is vying for a spot on the podium, trying to set a world record. With every performance, lifters are likely to showcase record-breaking performances.

In 2018 the International Weightlifting Federation executive board approved new bodyweight categories, meaning all the records in weight categories before this change will no longer be contested in IWF events. 

It’s the reason why there are so many categories that still have world standards that have not yet been claimed by athletes in the corresponding weight classes.

Here’s the list of the weight classes with world standards yet to be beaten:

Men’s Weight Classes

• 55-kg— Snatch
• 89-kg — Snatch, Clean & Jerk, Total
• 102-kg — Snatch, Clean & Jerk, Total

Women’s Weight Classes

• 45-kg — Snatch, Clean & Jerk, Total
• 71-kg — Snatch
• 81-kg — Snatch, Clean & Jerk, Total
• 87-kg — Snatch, Clean & Jerk, Total

Interesting facts

Let’s take a closer look at a few points worth noting on the World weightlifting records and tendencies that occurred after every event.

It should be noted that the USA team had no active world records in any weight category till this year’s culminating qualification event.

For instance, Sarah Robles ended America’s 16-year medal drought winning a bronze in the super heavyweight category of 75+ kg at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. For now this is a 87+ kg division, which has already been dominated by the Chinese Li Wenwen.

A prospective US athlete Hampton Morris shattered the world record in Clean & Jerk in the 61-kg weight category since 1969, thus securing the spot for his first Olympic Games. Additionally, he broke the American records in Snatch and totals.

China has the biggest rate of records of any country with 25 that is five times more than North Korea, which is in second place. It needs to be mentioned that the Chinese team is in its top form, as the majority of all current world records were shattered by Chinese athletes.

Chinese weightlifters are known for their precision in performing movements and maintaining an excellent balance of power and speed. Behind every triumph of China there’s a dedicated team of professional coaches, physiotherapists, physiologists, and nutritionists. While weightlifters showcase pure technique and ultimate determination.

These are current World Records in Men’s and Women’s categories, mentioning the most remarkable and popular weightlifters’ accomplishments.

Men’s

61 kg

• Li Fabin (China)

Snatch – 146 kg
Event Place & Date: Apr 02, 2024 – Phuket

Total – 318 kg
Event Place & Date: Sep 19, 2019 – Pattaya

Li Fabin booked a place for Paris 2024 with two golds and a world record in Snatch at the 2024 World Cup in Phuket. While another world record in total he made in 2019 at the World Championships in Pattaya.

• Hampton Morris (USA)

Clean & Jerk – 176 kg
Event Place & Date: Apr 02, 2024 – Phuket

Hampton Morris became the first American to break a senior world record since 1969: he set the world record in the Clean & Jerk by lifting 176 kg at a World Cup in Thailand. 

73 kg

• SHI Zhiyong (China)

Snatch – 169 kg
Event Place & Date: Apr 20, 2020 – Tashkent

A two-time Olympic champion, three-time World champion, and four-time Asian champion, Shi Zhiyong shattered a world record in Snatch at the Asian Championships held in Uzbekistan, Tashkent, lifting 169 kg at the third attempt.

• ABDULLAH Rahmat Erwin (Indonesia)

Clean & Jerk – 204 kg
Event Place & Date: Feb 06, 2024 – Tashkent

He set a world record in Clean & Jerk at the 2024 Asian Championships in Tashkent due to the successful third attempt of 204 kg. He was competing in the 81-kg weight division.

• JUNIANSYAH Rizki (Indonesia)

Total – 365 kg
Event Place & Date: Apr 04, 2024 – Phuket

Indonesian weightlifter and Junior world record holder set a new world record in total of 365 kg at the final qualifying event, the 2024 World Cup. This way, he stole the spot from his teammate Rahmat Erwin Abdullah who was a leader of the Olympic ranking for 18 months.

81 kg:

• LI Dayin (China)

Snatch – 175 kg
Event Place & Date: Apr 21, 2021 – Tashkent

A Chinese weightlifter set a world record in Snatch of 175 kg at the Asian Championships in Tashkent. However, in 2023, at another Asian Championships in Jinju, he lifted 180 kg setting a World Record too. 

• ABDULLAH Rahmat Erwin (Indonesia)

Clean & Jerk – 209 kg
Event Place & Date: Sep 11, 2023 – Riyadh

Once again, this the most dominant non-superheavyweight men’s weightlifter in the world possesses another world record in Clean & Jerk of 209 kg, which he set at the World Championships in Riyadh.

89 kg:

• Karlos Nasar (Bulgaria)

Clean & Jerk – 223 kg
Event Place & Date: Dec 10, 2023 – Doha

One of the most outstanding world athletes and a Bulgarian prodigy succeeded to set a world record in Clean & Jerk at the IWF Grand Prix in Qatar. He improved his prior record in the 2022 World Championships in Bogota of 220 kg.

• Li Dayin (China)

Total – 396 kg
Event Place & Date: May 10, 2023 – Jinju

This time, this Chinese powerhouse was competing in the 89-kg weight category at the Asian Championships: he did his best total of 396 kg setting a World Record.

96 kg

• Tian Tao (China)

Clean & Jerk – 231 kg
Event Place & Date: Jul 07, 2019 – Tokyo

Tao showed a confident performance and set a new world record for the clean & jerk in the 96 kg weight class with a strong 231kg lift in the third attempt.

102 kg

• LIU Huanhua (China)

Clean & Jerk – 232 kg
Total – 413 kg
Event Place & Date: Apr 08, 2024 – Phuket

At the culminating qualification event for the Olympics, namely the World Cup in Thailand, this Chinese lifter amazed everyone with his powerful lifts setting two world records in Clean & Jerk and total.

109 kg

• NURUDINOV Ruslan (Uzbekistan)

Clean & Jerk – 241 kg
Event Place & Date: Apr 24, 2020 – Tashkent

He shattered the world record in the C&J session of 241 kg at the 2020 Asian Championships.

• MARTIROSYAN Simon (Armenia)

Total – 435 kg
Event Place & Date: Nov 09, 2018 – Ashgabat

At the 2018 World Championships in Ashgabat, this Armenian weightlifter managed to set a world record in total of 435 kg.

109+ kg

• Lasha Talakhadze (Georgia)

Snatch – 225 kg
Clean & Jerk – 267 kg

Total – 492 kg
Event Place & Date: Dec 17, 2021 – Tashkent

A two-time Olympic Games champion and seven-time World and European Champion set three records at the 2021 World Championships in Tashkent.

Women’s 

49 kg

• HOU Zhihui (China)

Snatch – 97 kg
Event Place & Date: Apr 01, 2024 – Phuket

An Olympic champion, World champion, and two-time Asian champion Zhihui set a new world record in the snatch of 97 kg at the 2024 World Cup in Thailand, thus confirming her ticket to Paris.

59 kg

• LUO Shifang (China)

Total – 248 kg
Event Place & Date: Apr 03, 2024 – Phuket

A Chinese weightlifter scored gold in total with a new world record of 248 kg, which was a remarkable triumph at the last qualifying event before the 2024 Olympics.

71 kg

• LIAO Guifang (China)

Total – 273 kg
Event Place & Date: Sep 13, 2023 – Riyadh

A weightlifter Liao Guifang set two new world records in the 71-kg session at the 2023 Worlds in Saudi Arabia: the C&J of 153 kg, and a total of 273 kg which is for now a current world record.

81 kg

• LIANG Xiaomei (China)

Total – 284 kg
Event Place & Date: Dec 12, 2023 – Doha

Xiaomei shattered a new world record in a total of 284 kg at the 2023 Grand Prix in Doha, which is a current record, and she also set a world record in C&J of 123 kg.

87+ kg

• LI Wenwen (China)

Snatch – 148 kg
Clean & Jerk – 187 kg

Total – 335 kg
Event Place & Date: Apr 25, 2021 – Tashkent

Li showed her supremacy in the women’s super heavyweight +87 kg division at the Asian Championships in Tashkent, setting three new world records: Snatch of 148 kg, C&J – 187 kg, and a total of 335 kg.

Final point

As the 33rd Olympic Games are approaching in less than two months, we are expecting a great race between the nations, trying to excel and achieve high rankings on the ranking list in Paris. There’ll be a fierce competition between the leading athletes who will strive to outperform the rivals.