For nearly three years, Ri Song-gum disappeared.
There was no retirement, no long injury lay-off. The North Korean weightlifter simply vanished from international competition when her country withdrew from global sport during the pandemic.
When Ri returned, she was stronger than ever.
For Mirabai Chanu, chasing the one medal missing from her glittering collection, that is the problem. Ahead of her is Ri Song-gum, the two-time defending champion and world-record holder, chasing a third consecutive Asian Games gold. Behind, or alongside, her is Fang Wan-ling, a two-time Olympic finalist who can push the total to 200kg. Even then, Mirabai can finally win the medal that has so far eluded her by simply matching or coming close to her personal best.
“The good thing is Mira is injury free, and after studying all opponents, I can safely say we are among medal spots,” coach Vijay Sharma says.
The colour of the medal, however, is open for deliberation. Standing between her and a potential gold is a 4’7″ dynamo from North Korea.
Ri’s story is one of sustained domination punctuated by disappearance. She won silver at the 2014 Youth Olympics and Asian Games gold in Jakarta four years later. After North Korea’s absence from international sport during the Covid-19 pandemic, she returned at the Hangzhou Asiad in 2023 and retained her title with a 216kg total.
Then came the numbers that established her as one of weightlifting’s most formidable figures.
At the 2024 Asian Championships, Ri lifted a world-record 125kg in clean and jerk. At the World Cup in Phuket, she matched Chinese Olympic champion Hou Zhihui’s 97kg snatch before finishing with 124kg in clean and jerk for a world-record 221kg total.
The numbers matter particularly to Mirabai because Ri’s greatest weapon is the lift that has defined the Indian’s career.
Mirabai has built her reputation around the clean and jerk. Ri has taken it further.
Their meeting at last year’s World Championships showed the scale of the challenge. Ri lifted 91kg in snatch and 122kg in clean and jerk for a 213kg total. Mirabai finished with silver after lifting 84kg and 115kg for 199kg.
A 14kg gap is substantial in the 49kg category. Ri is therefore the clear favourite in Nagoya.
Yet, Mirabai’s Asian Games contest is not solely about catching her. With China absent at 49kg and Thailand’s World Championship silver medallist Thanyathon Sukchareon not competing – Suthasini Kaeosingkhon will compete instead – Mirabai needs to ensure she stays ahead of Fang Wan-ling.
The Chinese Taipei lifter is a two-time Olympic finalist, finishing fourth at Tokyo and sixth in Paris. Her recent totals have hovered around the low 190s, including 192kg at this year’s Asian Championships.
Mirabai has the higher ceiling. Her 205kg total at the National Championships earlier this year is well beyond Fang’s recent range.
But Fang represents a different danger from Ri. Ri is the benchmark. Fang is the rival Mirabai cannot afford to lose to.
One missed attempt can alter a weightlifting competition completely. A failed snatch can change the calculations; a conservative clean and jerk can become a gamble. If Mirabai slips towards the low 190s, Fang is close enough to turn her pursuit of a medal into a fight.
For Mirabai, this is her fourth attempt at an Asian Games medal. She finished ninth in Incheon in 2014, missed Jakarta through injury and finished fourth in Hangzhou.
Now, the competition has a clear hierarchy. Ri is chasing a third successive gold. Fang is chasing a breakthrough on another major stage. Mirabai is chasing completion.
The temptation will be to frame her Asian Games as a duel with the extraordinary North Korean at the top. But the more consequential contest may lie behind her.
Mirabai may not have to beat Ri Song-gum to finally win an Asian Games medal. She just cannot afford to lose sight of Fang Wan-ling while chasing her.