Vietnamese teen breaks third world weightlifting record

At the Uzbekistan Sport Complex in Tashkent, Tung competed in the men's 55-kg category in the youth and junior events last Saturday.

He lifted a total of 110 kg, which is a new world youth record in snatch, one kg heavier that previous record set by Italy's Massidda Sergio last October.

He also climbed the podium by lifting a total 246 kg in clean and jerk catergory, with the heaviest weight he picked up at 136 kg. He raised the weight to 142 kg in his last attempt to break the world record but failed.

Tung, from the northern Bac Ninh Province, has won six gold medals at the event – two each in snatch (youth and junior), clean and jerk and total weight lifted, topping all categories in the 55kg weight class.

At the same competition last October in North Korea, Tung had claimed four gold medals, setting two world records in snatch and total weight lifted in the 55 kg weight class.

At the 2019 Youth World Weightlifting Championships in Las Vegas in March last year, he won gold medals in snatch, clean and jerk and total weight lifted in the 49 kg category as it was first introduced at a world tournament.

Vietnam had won another seven gold medals earlier in the tournament. Nguyen Thi Thuy Tien, 19, won three golds in the women's junior 55 kg category; and Nguyen Thi Thu Hoai, 16, two in the women's 45 kg discipline for both youth and junior events. The nine-member national contingent has also won three silver and two bronze medals.

A total of 197 competitors from 20 countries and territories are competing in 24 disciplines in Taskent.

The Tokyo Olympics qualifier tournament started on February 13 and will conclude on February 19.