IWF120y/46 – 2016: Deng Wei (CHN) crowns a fantastic career with the Olympic gold
Born in February 1993, Deng Wei is 17 when she takes part in the first edition of the Youth Olympic Games, in 2010. The talented Chinese lifter gets the gold in Singapore, in what would be the premises of an outstanding career. Just a month later, in Antalya (TUR), she is also the best at the IWF World Championships, competing in the 58kg (102-135-237). Until the end of her career in 2021, she will collect four more world titles, becoming one of the most successful female athletes in the history of the IWF showcase. In the 63kg, she is the world champion in 2014 (110-142-252) and in 2015 (113-146-259), and is the clear favourite for an Olympic title at the 2016 Rio Games. She arrives in Brazil and confirms her credentials, climbing to the highest march of the podium, after a 115-147-262 result. The Clean & Jerk and Total performance remained the World Records in her body category (that no longer exists). From 2018, she competes in the 64kg and her domination remains intact at the international level, with two additional world titles in 2018 (112-140-252) and 2019 (116-145-261). Also in 2019, at the IWF World Cup, she establishes the WR in the Snatch, with a successful 117kg attempt (throughout her career, she improved 20 global marks). Deng trained at the Fujian Weightlifting National Sports Centre, a facility that has produced many Chinese stars since its opening in 2005. Lifters from the Fujian team earned already nine Olympic medals (including six gold), and 61 victories at the IWF Championships.