Hunan Weightlifter Hou Zhihui

Hou Zhihui, born in Guiyang, Chenzhou in March 1997, is an outstanding weightlifter for women's 49kg in the Hunan Women's Weightlifting Team. Starting practising weightlifting at the age of 11, Hou achieved remarkable progress base on her high talent and hard trainings. She ascended from a local sports school to the national team within eight years, and secured notable achievements in Chinese and international weightlifting events.

 
In 2017, she claimed gold in the weightlifting women's 48kg event at the 13th National Games in Tianjin with a winning total of 208kg.

 
At the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, Hou won the gold medal in the weightlifting women's 49kg finals, lifting 94kg in the snatch and 116kg in the clean and jerk, achieving a record-breaking winning total of 210kg.

In 2024, Hou secured her second championship in the weightlifting women's 49kg finals at the Paris Olympics.

In November 2025, Hou claimed the gold medal in the weightlifting women's 49kg final at China's 15th National Games. She lifted 93kg in the snatch and 110kg in the clean and jerk, achieving a winning total of 203kg. This hard-won gold medal marked Hou's three-peat at the national games at the age of 28.

Chinese sources: Hunan Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security; Hunan Daily

Updated in November 2025