Korea's Jang Yeon-hak finishes ninth in men's 102kg weightlifting

Jang cleared 173 kilograms in the snatch and 200 kilograms in the clean and jerk.

Korea's Jang Yeon-hak competes in the men's -102-kilogram weightlifting contest at the Paris Olympics at the South Paris Arena in Paris on Saturday. [AFP/YONHAP]

Korean weightlifter Jang Yeon-hak finished in ninth place in the men’s 102-kilogram contest at the Paris Olympics on Saturday, missing out on a podium spot at his first Games.

Jang, who came in second in the same weight division at the 2023 Independent Wrestling Federation World Championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was among 13 weightlifters vying for a podium spot in the medal round at the South Paris Arena in Paris.

He cleared 173 kilograms in the snatch but failed his attempts at 179 and 180 kilograms. And he managed to lift 200 kilograms in the clean and jerk but was unsuccessful at his next two weights, 211 and 221 kilograms.

His lifts totaled 373 kilograms, one kilogram below eighth placed Wes Kitts of the United States.

China’s Liu Huanhua took gold with 186 kilograms in the snatch and 220 kilograms in the clean and jerk.

Jang, 27, began weightlifting after watching retired Korean Olympic weightlifting champion Jang Mi-ran at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where she won gold, according to his Olympics profile.

Also according to the profile, after his career as an athlete, Jang would like to become a celebrity.

Korea has yet to medal in weightlifting at the Paris Games, with Kim Su-hyeon and Park Hye-jeong still to compete in the women’s competition.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]