Jang Mi-ran could receive bronze medal from 2012 Olympics

Weightlifting empress Jang Mi-ran (aged 33, professor at Yongin University) is expected to receive the bronze medal that she missed at the 2012 London Olympics four years ago.

The International Weightlifting Federation said on Thursday that 11 cases from the reinvestigation of urine and blood samples collected from the London Olympics tested positive for prohibited doping, which included Hripsime Khurshudyan of Armenia, the bronze medalist in the women's over-75kg division at the games. Having snatched 128 kilograms and jerked 166 kilograms, Khurshudyan won the bronze medal with a total of 294 kilograms, after Chinese weightlifter Zhou Lulu with 333 kilograms and Russian Tatiana Kashirina with 332 kilograms.

If Khurshudyan is deprived of her medal, Jang who finished fourth with 289 kilograms in total from 125 kilograms in snatch and 164 kilograms in clean and jerk is to be awarded the bronze medal. Having suffered back and shoulder injuries back then, the Korean weightlifter finished the game with the record falling far short of her personal record (140 kilograms in snatch, 186 kilograms in clean and jerk, 326 kilograms in total).

When Jang wins the bronze medal, she will be the athlete who has won the all different colors of medals from gold, silver to bronze. Jang won the silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics while gaining the gold at the 2008 Beijing Games. The only Korean athlete who grabbed all three medals in an individual event at the Olympics is Kim Soo-nyung, who earned a gold medal in 1988, a silver at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and a bronze one at the 2000 Sydney Games.

“I was curious that Khurshudyan’s record had drastically dropped right after the London Games," Jang said. "While I’m happy for the possibility to receive the bronze medal, it stings a bit since positive doping case was found in weightlifting."

유재영기자 elegant@donga.com