Song Kuk Hyang set a new mark in the 71kg category during the event.
Song Kuk Hyang and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea weightlifting team have continued their dominance during the 2024 Asian Weightlifting Championships. On Wednesday February 7th in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in the middle of the week-long event, Song Kuk Hyang turned in a massive 154kg clean & jerk to set a new world record in the 71kg division. Generation Iron Uzbekistan team was present and witnessed Hyang set an International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) record.
Hyang stepped up to the bar after declining her first attempt. She ended up going 3-for-6 in the lift and set a new world record of 154kg. She also attempted to top Angie Dajomes’ 121kg snatch record. Hyang was able to cruise past that and set a new, insane mark. This is one that has a chance to stand for quite some time.
The Asian Championships is currently taking place from Feb. 3-10 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. It features a total of 192 athletes across 32 countries and North Korea has dominated thus far. The team as a whole has won every weight class in both men’s and women’s competition.
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Song Kuk Hyang Competition History
Song Kuk Hyang totaled 269kg across two lifts at the Asian Championships. She won her division by 33kg. This was without Team China, who withdrew from the event to focus on the IWF World Cup in April.
Hyang has not competed on the IWF stage since 2019. She began her career competing in junior competitions before taking a step up. No matter she has competed, Hyang has been dominant.
- 2017 Junior Asian Weightlifting Championships – 1st place
- 2017 Youth Asian Weightlifting Championships – 1st place
- 2019 Junior Asian Weightlifting Championships – 1st place
- 19th Asian Games – 1st place
- 2023 IWF Grand Prix II – 1st place
Clean and Jerk Technique
While performing the clean & jerk will bring about an array of benefits, care is advised. The clean & jerk technique is tricky. If you are new to exercise, start light and be willing to spend time refining your technique.
1) First Pull
Start by assuming a hip-width stance and place both feet directly under the bar. Drop down to the bar and, using an overhand grip, place the hands slightly wider than shoulder-width.
Drop the hips down, engage the ab core muscles, lift the chest and squeeze between the shoulder blades before initiating the pull. In this position, the shoulders should be in front of the bar.
When pulling, focus on driving the heels through the floor and extending only at the knees. As you pull, ensure that the bar stays as tight to the body as possible.
2) Second Pull
The second pull begins when the knees are fully extended and the barbell is just above the height of the knees. As you move into the second pull, the bar should begin to significantly accelerate.
Having extended at the knees in the first pull, the knees should then begin to move forward so that the trunk assumes a more vertical position.
Once again, the bar should stay tight to the legs as it moves up the thigh and the core should remain engaged throughout.
3) Third Pull
The third pull is initiated when you assume the power position. The power position is when you are standing almost vertically with a slight bend in the knees and hips with the bar in contact with the crease of the hips.
To drive the bar upward in a vertical path, triple extension should occur. This is a rapid and simultaneous extension of the hips, knees, and ankle.
When the bar makes contact with the hips, it should then be aggressively pulled upward. A combination of triple extension and upper body pull will drive the bar upward.
As the bar rises, you should quickly drop down into a squat in order to catch the bar on the front of the shoulders. Once the bar has been caught, you must then powerfully drive through the heels to a standing position.
4) Jerk
For the jerk, drop the elbows and widen your grip on the bar slightly. Push the chest up and engage the core before initiating the jerk.
There are two jerking methods. For the full jerk, very rapidly dip at the knees and hips and simultaneously fully extend at the elbows to lock the bar overhead and stand.
For the more complicated split jerk, dip and shoot one leg out in front and one behind the body while driving the bar overhead. Take a moment to stabilize and then walk both feet to a standing position.
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