Vice Minister Jang Miran Visits Hangzhou Disabled AG Weightlifting Venue "I Wanted to Get on the Platform"

Support Visit to Weightlifting Event at Hangzhou Disabled AG

"(I thought I would completely give up exercising after retirement, but after putting down the barbell) I have been working out regularly these days. When I came to the stadium, I genuinely wanted to get on the platform.”

Vice Minister Jang Mi-ran Visits and Cheers at Weightlifting Venue of Hangzhou Asian Para Games
Photo by Korea Paralympic Committee

On the 23rd, Jang Mi-ran, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, who visited the Xiaoshan Sports Center Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China, where the weightlifting competition of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games was held, joked, “(Since I might get on the platform) please stop me later,” but said she truly wanted to get on it.

As a ‘weightlifting legend,’ Vice Minister Jang has maintained her physical fitness through consistent exercise even after retiring as an athlete, and a few years ago, she even briefly considered returning to competition.

On August 16, 2008, Vice Minister Jang set world records in snatch, clean and jerk, and total in the women’s super heavyweight category at the Beijing Olympics and won the gold medal. She set world records, won countless medals, and was in the spotlight.

Although it seemed she would give up exercising after retirement, she now visits the field as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, overseeing sports policy.

Vice Minister Jang said, “Watching the weightlifting competition after a long time made my heart flutter,” and shared her feelings, “Weightlifting is an event I cannot leave out of my life, so I felt very happy.”

She said that during her athlete days, she focused solely on weightlifting and, despite participating in numerous multi-sport events, never had the experience of watching other sports competitions.

The competition scene of weightlifter Choi Geum-jin.
[Photo by Korea Paralympic Committee]

On that day, Vice Minister Jang watched the entire match of Choi Geun-jin (Chungbuk Disabled Sports Association) in the men’s 54kg category. When Choi lifted 167 kg on his third attempt, she stood up and waved the Taegeukgi flag, cheering loudly.

Vice Minister Jang said, “Although he did not make it to the medal positions, he did not make any mistakes until the third attempt, so I wanted to applaud him,” and added, “I was very happy to meet him with the heart of a fellow weightlifter without leaving my seat.”

She continued, “When I was an athlete, my coaches often said, ‘Practice like it’s a competition, and compete like it’s practice,’” and encouraged, “I hope our athletes perform well in the competition comfortably as they did during practice and achieve their goals.”

Vice Minister Jang will watch the athletics events held on the 24th at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Main Stadium.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.