Li Wenwen

Li Wenwen was born on March 5th, 2000, and she’s a renowned Chinese weightlifter who competes in the women’s +87 kg division. She’s achieved remarkable success, like winning the Olympic gold medal in 2020, becoming the current world champion, and earning the title of Asian champion. In 2021, she set the world records for both the clean and jerk and snatch. Her career is marked by a lot of accolades and a relentless pursuit of excellence, all of which makes her one of the most prominent figures in weightlifting today. 

She started her weightlifting journey very early, at only 10 years old, but she didn’t begin formal training before she was 12. She faced challenges early on, like not being selected by coaches during a scouting visit to her school. However, she stayed persistent, and it paid off. Eventually, she got her chance to train and by the time she was 18, she was competing in national competitions and quickly made a name for herself. 

2019 was her breakout year. She competed at the IWF World Cup in Fuzhou and set a junior world record and won silver medals in the +87 kg category. Later that year, she set a world record in the snatch at the Asian Weightlifting Championships with a 147 kg lift and took home the gold medal in all lifts. 

At the 2019 World Weightlifting Championships, her performance was flawless, and she won gold in all lifts and set a world record in the clean and jerk with 186 kg. Her total lift of 332 kg was also a world record. 

In 2020, Li broke her own records at the Asian Weightlifting Championships, where she won gold in the women’s +87 kg event. She set a new Olympic record with a total of 320 kg – 140 kg in the snatch and 180 kg in the clean and jerk.

Although it may not seem like it, her journey to success was all but easy. She had a waist injury just before the 2019 Olympic Games Test Event but she still competed. She’s known for being determined and she even slept on the floor during competitions because the beds were too soft. 

As of 2024, she continues to excel in the +87 kg category. She recently won a gold medal at the IWF World Cup in Paris with a total lift of 325 kg.