2023 Asian Weightlifting Championships preview: Schedule, key information, athletes to watch

Hidilyn Diaz takes on Hsing-Chun Kuo at the continental championships in Jinju, Republic of Korea from 3-13 May with fellow Olympic champions Li Fabin and Fares El-Bakh also in the Paris 2024 qualification event.

4 minBy Evelyn Watta
Hidilyn Diaz SEA Games action 2022
(REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa)

After an exciting European Weightlifting Championships, attention switches to Asia where the continent's top lifters will converge at the Jinju Arena to compete in 10 weight classes for men and women.

Besides the continental medals, the event is part of the Olympic qualifying process for Paris 2024.

To be eligible to participate at the next Summer Games, athletes must participate in a minimum of three major competitions (in addition to fulfilling other prerequisites) with the Asian Weightlifting Championships one of those.

These championships will also give the athletes a good chance to test themselves ahead of September’s Asian Games.

The Asian Weightlifting Championships will take place in Jinju, Republic of Korea from 3-13 May 2023, and you can watch the action live on Olympics.com via Olympic Channel.

2023 Asian Weightlifting Championships competition schedule

Full events schedule in local time Jinju, South Korea (UTC/GMT +9)

Friday 5 May

  • 11:00 Women's 45kg
  • 13:00 Women's 49kg (Group B)
  • 15:00 Men's 55kg
  • 18:00 Women's 49kg (Group A)

Saturday 6 May

  • 11:00 Men's 61kg (Group B)
  • 15:00 Women's 55kg
  • 18:00 Men's 61kg (Group A)

Sunday 7 May

  • 11:00 Women's 59kg (Group B)
  • 15:00 Men's 67kg
  • 18:00 Women's 59kg (Group A)

Monday 8 May

  • 13:00 Men's 73kg (Group B)
  • 15:00 Women's 64kg
  • 18:00 Men's 73kg (Group A)

Tuesday 9 May

  • 11:00 Women's 71kg (Group B)
  • 15:00 Women's 71kg (Group A)
  • 18:00 Men's 81kg

Wednesday 10 May

  • 11:00 Men's 89kg (Group B)
  • 13:00 Women's 76kg
  • 15:00 Men's 89kg (Group A)
  • 18:00 Women's 81kg

Thursday 11 May

  • 15:00 Women's 87kg
  • 18:00 Men’s 96kg

Friday 12 May

  • 11:00 Men's 102kg (Group B)
  • 13:00 Men's 102kg (Group A)
  • 16:00 Men's 109kg

Saturday 13 May

  • 13:00 Women's +87kg
  • 18:00 Men’s +109kg

Athletes to watch at the 2023 Asian Weightlifting Championships

More than 260 weightlifters from 40 nations will take part in the championships including world and Olympic champions. Among the names to keep an eye on are:

Li Fabin, People's Republic of China, men’s 61kg

China's Olympic 61kg gold medallist is again set to dazzle at the Asian event. The 30-year-old will be looking to pick up from where he left off in 2022 when he lifted a new clean and jerk world record to regain his world title in Bogota.

Hsing-Chun Kuo, Chinese Taipei, women’s 59kg

Her long unbeaten run may have ended at last December’s World Championships, but Hsing-Chun Kuo remains the favourite in Asia in the 59kg class despite the presence of a new and interesting rival. The Rio 2016 bronze medallist won gold in Tokyo but lost out to home favourite Yenny Alvarez in Colombia with another Olympic champion, Canada's Maude Charron, taking bronze.

Hidilyn Diaz (Philippines, women’s 59kg)

Kuo's biggest challenge will surely come from Hidilyn Diaz who made history at Tokyo 2020 by winning the Philippines' first Olympic gold medal at 55kg. With that weight class dropped from the programme for Paris 2024, Diaz has moved up to 59kg. She has opted not to defend her title at the Southeast Asian Games and instead compete in Korea with the hope of collecting early points towards qualification for Paris. She’s been in training at the Waseda University in Japan for the Continental championships.

Fares El-Bakh, Qatar, men’s 102kg

Fares El-Bakh, also known as Meso Hassouna, has also had to bulk up with his weight class discarded ahead of Paris. The 96kg Tokyo 2020 hero and Qatar's first Olympic champion - winning gold one day before high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim - won the 102kg Asian title last October and will once again do battle with world silver medallist Reza Dehdar from the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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