AICHI-NAGOYA, Japan – Team Qatar’s Wissal Yakhlef claimed the bronze medal in the women’s +86kg weightlifting competition at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, recording a total lift of 273kg in an impressive performance.

Yakhlef finished third behind China’s Li Wenwen, who secured the gold medal with a total of 310kg, while South Korea’s Park Hye-jeong took silver with 300kg.

The Qatari lifter delivered a strong performance throughout the competition to secure a place on the podium and add another medal to Qatar’s Asian Games tally in a fiercely contested category featuring some of Asia’s and the world’s leading weightlifters.

The bronze marked an important milestone for Ikhlef, who raised the Qatari flag on the Asian Games podium in one of the competition’s most demanding weightlifting events.

Mohammed Yousef Al-Mana, President of the Qatar Weightlifting Federation, expressed his delight at Yakhlef’s achievement, emphasizing the exceptionally high level of competition in the women’s +86kg category.

“We are grateful for this medal. Yakhlef gave everything she had to reach the podium. The competition in this category was extremely strong, particularly with the presence of champions from China and Korea who have achieved major success at world level. The battle for the medals was therefore intense from the opening attempts through to the final lifts,” Al-Mana said.

He added: “We certainly hoped to achieve more, but considering the strength of the competition and the circumstances surrounding the event, Yakhlef’s bronze medal is an important achievement. We thank her for the tremendous effort she made and the fighting spirit she demonstrated throughout the competition.”

Al-Mana said the medal would serve as further motivation for the federation to continue developing its athletes and preparing for upcoming competitions.

“This medal will be a major incentive for us to continue working and preparing for the upcoming competitions. We aim to further develop the level of our female athletes and achieve better results in future championships,” he said.

Al-Mana also expressed his appreciation to H.E. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, for his continued support of Qatari sport and athletes, noting that such support inspires athletes and sports federations to work harder and raise Qatar’s flag at major international sporting events.

For her part, Yakhlef expressed her immense happiness at winning her first Asian Games medal, describing the achievement as particularly meaningful given the strength of the field.

“I am extremely happy with this medal. I consider it one of the most difficult medals I have won in my career because of the strength of the competition and the presence of top-level champions from China and Korea. Reaching the Asian Games podium is not easy, so I feel very proud of this achievement,” Yakhlef said.

She added: “This medal has special value for me because it is my first Asian Games medal, and that is why I consider this bronze medal as good as gold.”