Six world records were rewritten on Saturday in the men's 70kg and 75kg weightlifting divisions at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, with athletes from DPR Korea and Indonesia each claiming gold in a night of extraordinary lifting.

Men's 70kg: Ri Won-ju edges Miyamoto in a record-breaking duel

Ri Won-ju of DPR Korea delivered a dominant performance to win the men's 70kg title, setting world records in the clean and jerk at 198kg and the total at 349kg. Ri trailed host nation Japan's Masanori Miyamoto by three kilograms after the snatch — in which Miyamoto himself set a world record at 154kg — but powered ahead in the clean and jerk to secure victory by a 7kg margin.

Albert Ian Delos Santos of the Philippines claimed bronze with a total of 324kg. Delos Santos, who hails from a family steeped in weightlifting — his father, a former national team lifter, was his first coach — was visibly emotional after the event. 'My sister competed at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, and now being here is like a full circle. And my dad back in the 90s, this is a legacy given to me,' he said.

Men's 75kg: Abdullah dominates with two more world records

Rahmat Erwin Abdullah of Indonesia was equally imperious in the men's 75kg final, setting world records in the clean and jerk at 206kg and the total at 366kg to claim gold. Thailand's Weeraphon Wichuma took silver, finishing just one kilogram behind Abdullah — a margin that captured just how fiercely competitive the division was.

Ri Chong-song of DPR Korea set a world record in the snatch at 162kg but could not complete his second and third clean and jerk attempts, ultimately settling for bronze. Wichuma, speaking after his event, reflected with satisfaction on the night. 'I'm happy for silver. It's so good. The level here was quite high; this is a competitive field full of good competitors,' he said in a post-match interview.

The broader picture: A historic evening at Aichi-Nagoya

The two sessions produced a combined six world records — an exceptional density of elite performances even by Asian Games standards. Notably, DPR Korea athletes accounted for three of those records across both weight classes, reinforcing their continued dominance in Olympic-style weightlifting. Indonesia's Abdullah, meanwhile, has now cemented his status as one of the sport's premier heavy lifters heading into the Olympic cycle.

This comes amid growing global attention on weightlifting's competitive depth in Asia, a continent that has historically produced the sport's most technically advanced athletes. The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games have already established themselves as a landmark edition for the discipline.

What's next

Competition continues on Sunday, when the women's 69kg and 77kg weightlifting divisions are scheduled to take place — with further record attempts anticipated given the form on display.