Thanks, Interesting info. I don't follow weightlifting at all but weightlifting competition is always so fun and adrenalin charged. Instant results and very emotional just like that young Dutch lady just now. Of course there alot of hard work training behind the scenes before all this.The North Korean weightlifter doubtlessly hates China so much because she is perpetual silver to multiple different Chinese lifters. She was going to win Olympic gold unchallenged, then Hou dropped, Meng went in and just like that, she's silver. Meng was badly out of form; she is capable of a 195 world record clean and jerk but because she had stopped training, struggled so hard to make that 177 that she fell to the floor on her knees in relief, kowtowing in all directions when she did. Interestingly, the North Korean weightlifter is named Kuk hyang, which translates to "aromatic pot" for the chubby lady.
There is no controversy to De la Cruz's disqualification on her last snatch. Her left elbow bent and it was ruled a press out but her coaches challenged because they were on her right side so they saw nothing wrong with it. By the way, that bald coach is Pyrros Dimas, Greek 3 time Olympic Champion, 1 time bronze medalist. He is a legend in weightlifting but he was lucky as he won one gold medal with a score so low a lifter in a lighter weight class could have lifted it and basically only made 1 world record in 4 Olympics.
When you mention Meng thinking she wasn't going to Olympics, is it because there is a limit how many weightlifters a country can bring? China is so dominant here I guess they have to make up rules to stop the Chinese if others can't compete well.