Ri wins with 365 kg—160 kg in the snatch and 205 kg in the clean and jerk. Armenia’s Tigran Karapetyan records no total after missing all snatches, while Gor Sahakyan withdraws injured without attempting a lift.
North Korea’s Ri Ryong Hyon won the men’s 75 kg title on 31 October at the 2026 World Weightlifting Championships in Ningbo, China. Indonesia’s Rahmat Erwin Abdullah took silver and Thailand’s Weeraphon Wichuma bronze. Neither Armenian entrant finished with a combined total.
The combined total adds a lifter’s best successful snatch and clean and jerk. The snatch takes the bar overhead in one movement; the clean and jerk brings it to the shoulders before lifting it overhead. Separate medals are also awarded in each lift.
| Medal / lifter | Country | Snatch | Clean and jerk | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold — Ri Ryong Hyon | North Korea | 160 kg | 205 kg | 365 kg |
| Silver — Rahmat Erwin Abdullah | Indonesia | 157 kg | 202 kg | 359 kg |
| Bronze — Weeraphon Wichuma | Thailand | 155 kg | 200 kg | 355 kg |
Abdullah climbed from fifth after the snatch to second overall, finishing six kilograms behind Ri. Wichuma finished 10 kg behind the champion and four behind Abdullah.
North Korea’s Song Kuk Hyang won with a 275 kg total, including lifts of 122 kg and 153 kg; Sportaran says all three were world records.
Sportaran said a timing-system problem forced Abdullah to rush onto the platform for his final 207 kg attempt. He started but could not complete the lift, which would have earned him overall gold and a clean-and-jerk world record.
Abdullah previously won the men’s 73 kg world titles in 2021 and 2022 and Olympic bronze at Tokyo 2020. Wichuma won Olympic silver in the same category in 2024.
Armenia’s Tigran Karapetyan, 21, competed in Group C. He missed his first two snatch attempts at 145 kg and his final attempt at 147 kg. Without a successful snatch, he could not record a combined total.
Karapetyan completed clean-and-jerk lifts of 175 kg and 179 kg before missing 183 kg. His best lift placed him 16th in that discipline.
Gor Sahakyan, a two-time European champion and World Championships bronze medalist, had been entered in Group A. He withdrew injured without making an attempt, also leaving him without a combined total.
Armenia’s weightlifting federation announced Sahakyan’s injury withdrawal. The injury’s nature and severity had not been disclosed as of 31 October.
Ri’s victory gave North Korea its fifth combined-total title. The country led the standings with 16 gold medals when the separate snatch and clean-and-jerk medals were included.
Armenia remained on one bronze medal, won earlier by Aleksandra Grigoryan in the women’s 57 kg clean and jerk rather than the combined total.
Armenia’s next competitors are scheduled for 2 November: Rafik Harutyunyan in Group B and Martin Poghosyan in Group C of the men’s 85 kg category. The championships are scheduled to conclude on 8 November.
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Pei set 2 world records, while final men’s 85 kg standings put Armenia’s Rafik Harutyunyan 22nd with 345 kg and Martin Poghosyan 23rd with 337 kg.
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Armenia’s Aleksandra Grigoryan lifted 120 kg for women’s clean-and-jerk bronze but finished fourth overall with 205 kg, outside the combined-total podium.
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