M96
This A group started quietly enough but soon became dramatic and even a bit controversial.
First we saw the return of Ilya Illyn to the world stage with some safe snatches at 165 and 168 and then a miss at 171.
Towards the end of the snatches, there was a delay when a scoreboard error led to some considerable confusion. The technical officials ended up having to examine the paper athlete cards to work out how to reset things. Even then, there seemed some doubt about whether Kianoush Rostami (IRI), who was waiting to take his opener, should take 179 or 180. He ended up taking missing 180 and was clearly not happy. He then missed it again, getting it overhead but dropping it behind during the recovery. It looked like the confusion had affected him.
Meanwhile, Tian Tao came out for this third attempt, at 180, after having missed 175 twice. He made the lift convincingly, leaving everyone to wonder what the problem was with the lighter weight.
Rostami came out for this third and final snatch attempt. He missed 180 one more time, bombing out of the competition. He seemed injured and then, to add to the drama, he appeared at the front of the stage, addressing the referees, jury and audience with a complaint about what had happened prior to his opening lift.
Unaffected by the drama around him Anton Pliesnoi (GEO) went 3/3 with 172, 177 and 181 to take the snatch gold while Jhonatan Rivas (COL) missed an attempt at 182 but picked up the bronze.
Anton Pliesnoi (GEO) completed a 6/6 performance with 203, 209 and 213 to set a 394 total for Fares Elbakh (QAT) and Tian Tao (CHN) to chase.
Seyedayoob Mousavijarahi (IRI) couldn’t challenge for the total medals but did hit a 214 clean and jerk to guarantee a medal there.
Elbakh was the first of the big two to make a move, hitting 217 to take the lead on clean and jerk and total. Tian Tao went one kilo better to 218, enough to pull ahead on clean and jerks but still just behind on tota.
The Quatar lifter upped the ante with 224, forcing Tian to load four reds on the bar and attempt 225. He missed, giving Elbakh the opportunity to burn the Chinese lifter’s clock, leaving him just a minute’s rest before his third attempt. However, Tian moved up, bringing Elbakh out for 230. He missed the lift, leaving Tian with an attempt at 230 to win clean and jerk and total golds. Tian is no stranger to needing to make big lifts under pressure so of course, he nailed the final clean and jerk of the session to win.
Medals
| Snatch | Clean and Jerk | Total | |
| Gold | Anton Pliesnoi (GEO) – 181 | Tian Tao (CHN) – 230 | Tian Tao (CHN) – 410 |
| Silver | Tian Tao (CHN) – 180 | Fares Elbakh (QAT) – 224 | Fares Elbakh (QAT) – 402 |
| Bronze | Jhonatan Rivas (COL) – 179 | Seyedayoob Mousavijarahi (IRI) – 214 | Anton Pliesnoi (GEO) – 394 |
W76
This group saw a jury determined to enforce the outfit rules, which are often someone loosely applied. First the jury spotted that Mariia Vostrikova (RUS) was wearing an extra belt under her costume and she was told to remove it. Then Zhang Wangli (CHN) was then told that she must remove a wrap that was on her elbow.
Iryna Dekha (UKR) went 3/3 to finish on 110 but this was not enough for a snatch medal as Neisi Dajomes Barrera (ECU)has already hit 110 with her opener. She in turn missed 115 and 116, meaning she would probably be limited to bronze.
Zhang Wangli (CHN) hit her 113 opener but, after having to remove her elbow wrap, missed 118 on second attempt. She improved for her third to hit it and move into the lead. However, Rim Jong Sim (PRK) still had to open.
The North Korean lifter got her 120 opener, needing to rebalance in the receive position before standing up. She then went straight to 124 on her second attempt for a go at extending her own world record.
In the clean and jerks Aremi Fuentes Zavala (MEX) challenged for a medal, hitting 135 and 138 to stake a claim. Neisi Dajomes Barrera (ECU) hit 135 but missed 139 twice. The Mexican lifter could then have used her third attempt for 139 to grab a total medal but strangely opted to go to 140, which she missed.
Zhang Wangli (CHN), the current world record holder surprisingly missed her opener at 145 before making it on her second attempt. It looked hard though, so it seemed unlikely she would get close to her 156 record.
There were no problems for Rim Jong Sim (PRK) on her 148 opener, which put the pressure on the Chinese lifter to do something big on one one remaining attempt. She moved up to 153, bringing Rim out for 152. The North Korean made a hard clean but stuck the jerk to go thirteen kilos ahead in the total.
Zhang Wangli (CHN) had to give up the chase for the total but still wanted gold on clean and jerk. She confidently took and made 153. The North Korean would need to go for a total world record if she wanted a clean sweep of the medals.
155 was the required number. With loud exhortations from both of her coaches, she struggled up with the clean and drove the jerk up to catch it overhead, only to fall sideways, losing the lift. She would win the snatch and total golds but the clean and jerk medal would go to China.
Medals
| Snatch | Clean and Jerk | Total | |
| Gold | Rim Jong Sim (PRK) – 124 | Zhang Wangli (CHN) – 153 | Rim Jong Sim (PRK) – 276 |
| Silver | Zhang Wangli (CHN) – 118 | Rim Jong Sim (PRK) – 152 | Zhang Wangli (CHN) – 271 |
| Bronze | Neisi Dajomes Barrera (ECU) – 110 | Aremi Fuentes Zavala (MEX) – 138 | Neisi Dajomes Barrera (ECU) – 245 |
New Records
- World snatch record – Rim Jong Sim (PRK) 124
Latest Medal Table
| Gold | Silver | Bronze | ||
| 1 | China | 23 | 14 | 5 |
| 2 | DPR Korea | 7 | 9 | 5 |
| 3 | USA | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 4 | Turkey | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | Chinese TaiPei | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | Georgia | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Armenia | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 8 | India | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Japan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Iran | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 11 | Cuba | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 12 | Indonesia | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 13 | Quatar | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 14 | Colombia | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 15 | Bulgaria | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 16 | Vietnam | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 17 | Kazakhstan | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 18 | Belarus | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 19 | Saudi Arabia | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 20 | Uzbekistan | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 21 | Philipines | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 22 | Romania | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 23 | Ecuador | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 24 | Albania | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 25 | Great Britain | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 26 | Venezuela | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 27 | Mexico | 0 | 0 | 1 |