Rio 2016 Olympic GamesAug 3, 2016 by Paige Bayer
Rio 2016 Women's Weightlifting Medalist Predictions
Rio 2016 Women's Weightlifting Medalist Predictions
The 2016 Olympic Games are right around the corner. Here are my predictions for the women's medalists in all weight classes:You can find the full breakdown
The 2016 Olympic Games are right around the corner. Here are my predictions for the women's medalists in all weight classes:
You can find the full breakdown and predictions for the men's competition here.
Hiromi Miyake (JPN) is the silver medalist from London 2012 and the bronze medalist from the 2015 World Championships. With a better performance in the clean & jerk, she would have taken silver over Thi Huyen Vuong of Vietnam. Vuong did very well at the 2015 Worlds considering she only made her opening snatch, and the battle between Vuong and Miyake will be epic. Chen Wei-ling (TPE) can lock up bronze if she can stay consistent enough to take big lifts on her third attempts.
China's Li Yajun should win gold in Rio as 2014 World Champion Chinshanlo (KAZ) has been suspended and Chinese Taipei's Hsu Shu-Ching (the defending Olympic Champion) hasn't totaled above 230 in almost two years. Diaz Hidilyn of the Philippines did very well at Worlds in 2015 and I expect her to continue that trend.
With no Deng Mengrong (CHN) or Boyanka Kostova (AZE), Chinese Tapei's Kuo Hsing-Chun is my pick to win the Gold in Rio. Srisurat (THA) is the only other woman who can compete with her in the snatch, and if she can snatch well she can lock up silver with even a mediocre clean & jerk. Rivas Ordonez (COL) has a pretty stellar clean & jerk, and that will be the deciding factor for her bronze medal.
Den Wei (CHN) won both the 2014 and 2015 World Championships and without Tima Turieva (RUS) to compete against her, she'll walk away with an Olympic Gold Medal. Goricheva (KAZ) and Hyo Sim Choe (PRK) tied in total at the 2015 Worlds, but Goricheva has a gold medal snatch and had a poor showing on the clean & jerks. I suspect that'll make up the difference in Rio.
These are the top three women's 69kg weightlifters from the 2015 World Championships once we remove Romanova (RUS) who placed 3rd. Xiang Yanmei (CHN) and Zhazira Zhapparkul (KAZ) are both well ahead of their peers, and without Belarusian and Mongolian competitors, third place is within reach for Sara Ahmed (EGY) who is still a Junior.
North Korea's Rim Jong Sim is head and shoulders better than the field of heavyweight women at Rio. With a few notable absences (again Russia and Kazakhstan), now Olympic gold medalist Lidia Valentin (ESP) is ready to step back onto the international platform and Darya Naumava (BLR) has what it takes to round out the top three.
With news that Russia will not have an lifters at Rio, the women's super heavyweight division opens up significantly. Two-time World silver medalist Meng Suping (CHN) is a class above the rest of the competition and with no Kazakh or Thai lifters here, Kim Kuk Hyang of North Korea essentially has silver locked in place. Bronze becomes a bit of a battle, but I think Team USA's own Sarah Robles has a great chance at locking up the first Olympic medal for the US in weightlifting since 2000.
You can find the full breakdown and predictions for the men's competition here.
W48
- Hiromi Miyake (JPN)
- Thi Huyen Vuong (VIE)
- Chen Wei-ling (TPE)
Hiromi Miyake (JPN) is the silver medalist from London 2012 and the bronze medalist from the 2015 World Championships. With a better performance in the clean & jerk, she would have taken silver over Thi Huyen Vuong of Vietnam. Vuong did very well at the 2015 Worlds considering she only made her opening snatch, and the battle between Vuong and Miyake will be epic. Chen Wei-ling (TPE) can lock up bronze if she can stay consistent enough to take big lifts on her third attempts.
W53
- Yajun Li (CHN)
- Hsu Shu-Ching (TPE)
- Hidilyn Diaz (PHI)
China's Li Yajun should win gold in Rio as 2014 World Champion Chinshanlo (KAZ) has been suspended and Chinese Taipei's Hsu Shu-Ching (the defending Olympic Champion) hasn't totaled above 230 in almost two years. Diaz Hidilyn of the Philippines did very well at Worlds in 2015 and I expect her to continue that trend.
W58
- Kuo Hsing-Chun (TPE)
- Sukanya Srisurat (THA)
- Lina Marcela Rivas Ordonez (COL)
With no Deng Mengrong (CHN) or Boyanka Kostova (AZE), Chinese Tapei's Kuo Hsing-Chun is my pick to win the Gold in Rio. Srisurat (THA) is the only other woman who can compete with her in the snatch, and if she can snatch well she can lock up silver with even a mediocre clean & jerk. Rivas Ordonez (COL) has a pretty stellar clean & jerk, and that will be the deciding factor for her bronze medal.
W63
- Deng Wei (CHN)
- Karina Goricheva (KAZ)
- Hyo Sim Choe (PRK)
Den Wei (CHN) won both the 2014 and 2015 World Championships and without Tima Turieva (RUS) to compete against her, she'll walk away with an Olympic Gold Medal. Goricheva (KAZ) and Hyo Sim Choe (PRK) tied in total at the 2015 Worlds, but Goricheva has a gold medal snatch and had a poor showing on the clean & jerks. I suspect that'll make up the difference in Rio.
W69
- Xiang Yanmei (CHN)
- Zhazira Zhapparkul (KAZ)
- Sara Ahmed (EGY)
These are the top three women's 69kg weightlifters from the 2015 World Championships once we remove Romanova (RUS) who placed 3rd. Xiang Yanmei (CHN) and Zhazira Zhapparkul (KAZ) are both well ahead of their peers, and without Belarusian and Mongolian competitors, third place is within reach for Sara Ahmed (EGY) who is still a Junior.
W75
- Rim Jong Sim (PRK)
- Lidia Valentin (ESP)
- Darya Naumava (BLR)
North Korea's Rim Jong Sim is head and shoulders better than the field of heavyweight women at Rio. With a few notable absences (again Russia and Kazakhstan), now Olympic gold medalist Lidia Valentin (ESP) is ready to step back onto the international platform and Darya Naumava (BLR) has what it takes to round out the top three.
W75+
- Meng Suping (CHN)
- Kim Kuk Hyang (PRK)
- Sarah Robles (USA)
With news that Russia will not have an lifters at Rio, the women's super heavyweight division opens up significantly. Two-time World silver medalist Meng Suping (CHN) is a class above the rest of the competition and with no Kazakh or Thai lifters here, Kim Kuk Hyang of North Korea essentially has silver locked in place. Bronze becomes a bit of a battle, but I think Team USA's own Sarah Robles has a great chance at locking up the first Olympic medal for the US in weightlifting since 2000.
