Kazakhstan established itself as an international weightlifting powerhouse at the London 2012 Summer Olympics by taking four gold medals in numerous categories.
And the country solidified that reputation on Sept. 20 when Kazakh lifter Margarita Yelisseyeva won the country’s first gold at this year’s Incheon Asian Games in South Korea in the women’s 48 kilogramme category.
Yelisseyeva’s combined a total of 194 kilogrammes in two disciplines, the snatch (88 kilogrammes) and clean and jerk (106 kilogrammes), which gave her a seven-kilogramme advantage over three other lifters.
Junior champion Sri Wahyuni Agustiani of Indonesia finished second with Mahliyo Togoeva of Uzbekistan rounding out the medal count.
“I was very happy with silver,” Agustiani said after the competition. “I had given everything and couldn’t have lifted a greater weight. It was my maximum effort.”
Togoevea, Agustiani and fourth placed North Korean Paek Il-Hwa, who enjoyed a rousing reception from the South Korean fans, all registered 187 kilogrammes and the places had to be decided on countback.
