‘Post Jang Miran’ Park Hye-jeong (20, Goyang City Hall) won a silver medal in her first Olympics, but the background behind her rushing into the platform unprepared during the final third attempt in the clean and jerk was revealed. Due to a coaching staff error, Park Hye-jeong stepped onto the platform with about 10 seconds left on the clock, and after the competition, she expressed, "I have a lot of regrets about the third clean and jerk attempt."
On the 11th, at the South Paris Arena 6 in Paris, France, during the women's over 81kg weightlifting event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Park Hye-jeong set a new Korean record by lifting 131kg in the snatch, 168kg in the clean and jerk, for a total of 299kg, earning the silver medal. On that day, Park easily succeeded with 123kg in her first snatch attempt, then consecutively succeeded at 127kg in the second attempt and 131kg in the third, setting a new Korean record.
In the subsequent clean and jerk, Park entered the medal zone by lifting 163kg in her first attempt, and by lifting 168kg in the second attempt, she surpassed her own Korean record total of 296kg by 3kg. The disappointing moment came during the third clean and jerk attempt. Raising the weight to 173kg, Park rushed onto the platform with about 17 seconds remaining on the clock.
Park appeared holding her belt without having fastened it, and she had not even applied magnesium carbonate to her hands. As she entered, she hung the belt around her waist and hurriedly tightened it in front of the barbell. Then, with about 2 seconds left on the clock, she grabbed the barbell and lifted it, barely avoiding disqualification. This was a stark contrast to her previous attempts where she entered the platform with ample time to catch her breath and prepare for the lift.
Ultimately, Park failed to lift the 173kg overhead. After the attempt, the broadcast cameras captured Park turning her head with a disappointed expression toward the coaching staff.
The KBS weightlifting commentary team also showed visible confusion that day. When commentator Lee Bae-young urgently said, "You have to hurry. Only 6 seconds left," broadcaster Jeon Hyun-moo questioned, "Why did she come out so late? Why was it so tight?" Lee speculated, "It seems like they weren’t prepared. She probably missed her turn inside."
Fortunately, Emily Campbell of the UK failed her 174kg clean and jerk third attempt, securing the silver medal for Park. Regarding the situation where the medal color could have changed if Campbell had succeeded, Jeon Hyun-moo said, "It was nerve-wracking. From our perspective, we really sighed in relief." Lee also expressed regret, saying, "There’s a bit of disappointment at the end. It seems they lost track of time during the tactical battle. If Park had lifted that, she would have succeeded immediately."
On the 11th (local time), Park Hye-jeong, who won the silver medal in the women's weightlifting over 81kg category at the 2024 Paris Olympics held at South Paris Arena in Paris, France, is standing on the podium holding up her medal. [Photo by Yonhap News]
In an interview with the Olympic Committee immediately after the competition, Park explained the situation, saying, "I was quite disappointed with the third clean and jerk attempt." She said, "If only there had been a bit more time during the third clean and jerk, the coach was debating whether to increase the weight but didn’t give the signal. Then I was told to ‘go in quickly’ and went up with 17 seconds left, so I couldn’t apply magnesium powder or prepare properly." She added, "Not only that situation, but I was also angry at myself for not finishing well until the end."
In a later interview with SPOTV, Park said, "The coach and trainer always told me, ‘Secure second place with the second attempt and then gamble with a heavier weight on the third,’ but they were too focused on me. If the coach had given the signal earlier, it would have gone to another athlete, but I think the coach was too nervous." She continued, "I was very angry after the match, but the coach apologized. I was angry too, but I said it was okay and finished well. I still have a lot of regrets."
Netizens who saw this situation reacted with comments such as, "The third attempt was a fight against herself and the record, but how can the coach fail to check the basic time?" "What if she had gotten injured lifting in such a rush?" "It must be frustrating from the athlete’s perspective," and so on.
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