Wavee Weerapol Wichuma Wins Two Bronze Medals at the World Weightlifting Championships in the Men's 75kg Category.

Key summary

At the 2026 World Weightlifting Championships in Ningbo, China, on October 31, 2026, the Thai team sent Sergeant Wavee Weerapol Wichuma to compete in the men's 75kg category for the first time in this event. Wavee, the silver medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympics and the Asian Games in Nagoya, faced top competitors including Abdullah Rahmad Erwin of Indonesia and Ri Ryong Hyeon of North Korea.

In the snatch, Wavee successfully lifted 155kg on his first attempt, but failed on his second attempt at 159kg and was unable to repeat the weight, finishing in 7th place. In the clean and jerk, the Thai athlete successfully lifted 197kg on his first attempt and 200kg on his second attempt, before deciding to stop lifting on his third attempt due to lower back muscle tension to avoid the risk of tearing. This resulted in a total record of 200kg.

With a total weight of 355kg (snatch 155 + clean and jerk 200), Wavee won bronze medals in both the clean and jerk and the total weight, marking the first medal for the Thai weightlifting team in this event. Ri Ryong Hyeon of North Korea won 3 gold medals (snatch 160, clean and jerk 205, total 365), while Abdullah Rahmad Erwin of Indonesia won 2 silver medals (clean and jerk 202, total 359), and Montes Hurtado of Colombia won 1 bronze medal in the snatch with a weight of 158kg.