China’s Liu Huanhua is a frontiersman — literally. On Monday, Apr. 8, 2024, Huanhua made modern weightlifting history as the first 102-kilogram athlete to set world records in his category. Huanhua’s 232-kilogram (511.4-pound) clean & jerk and 413-kilogram (910.5-pound) Total are both the inaugural world records a lifetime best international performance for China’s gold-medal bet at the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games.
This landmark occurred at the 2024 IWF World Cup, the last-chance qualifier for Paris, which runs from Mar. 31 to Apr. 11 in Phuket, Thailand. Huanhua had already wedged himself atop the 102-kilogram international leaderboard, but thanks to his world-record performance in Phuket, he’s heading to Paris as the favorite to win it all.
[Related: World Champion + Olympic Medalist Tian Tao (89KG) Announces Retirement]
In the first half of the 102-kilogram session, Huanhua locked in 181 kilograms (399 pounds) in the snatch — good for a medal-less fifth place. However, come the back half of the session, it became clear that no one in the field could hang with Huanhua in terms of pure strength:
Liu Huanhua (102KG) | 2024 IWF World Cup
Snatch: 175, 181, 186
Clean & Jerk: 220, 225, 232 | World Record
Total: 413 | World Record
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Why Were These the First World Records?
In 2018, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) announced a redesign of the sport’s competitive weight classes. This decision came amid a period of strife within the IWF surrounding its failure to effectively police steroid use within the sport. To sanitize its record books, the organization adopted new categories.
When the new divisions were published, so too were the IWF’s “world standards”. World standards are figurative benchmarks laid out when a new weight class is minted. To set an official world record, an athlete must lift one kilogram more than the existing standard.
In the six years since the new weight classes were unveiled, nearly every other new division had its standards claimed by various athletes. Until Huanhua, no man in the world possessed the strength to meet the bar established by the IWF.
As of Apr. 2024 and counting Huanhua’s performance, the only unclaimed world standard is the Men’s 55-kilogram snatch. North Korean weightlifter Om Yun Chol has the clean & jerk and snatch records there, but has since retired.
Liu “Gigachad” Huanhua
Despite being a new addition to the international weightlifting scene, Huanhua has rapidly become a fan-favorite athlete and a standout performer for Team China in the Men’s heavyweight division, a category in which the country has historically struggled to excel.
Nicknamed “Gigachad” for his exceptional muscularity and in-competition confidence, Huanhua first appeared on an IWF stage in late 2022. He made the podium in his debut, and has maintained that medal-winning rhythm ever since:
Liu Huanhua International Competition History
2022 World Championships: 3rd (89KG)
2023 Asian Championships: 1st (96KG)
2023 World Championships: 1st (102KG)
19th Asian Games: 1st (109KG)
2023 IWF Grand Prix II: 2nd (102KG)
2024 IWF World Cup: 1st (102KG)
Credit: Jessie Johnson / @barbellstories
Huanhua was initially postured to challenge 89-kilogram athletes Li Dayin and Tian Tao for one of China’s three male Olympic slots. However, he spent most of 2023 rapidly bulking up to the 102s, and has since thrived there.
His 413-kilogram world record Total places him 13 kilos ahead of second-placer and 2020 Olympic Champion Meso Hassona on the IWF’s leaderboards. Both athletes will meet in Paris, and both now have world records to their name (though Hassona’s are Junior). It’ll be a brawl for the gold medal at this year’s Olympics, that’s for sure.
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Featured Image: Jessie Johnson / @barbellstories
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