In women's weightlifting, China will once again be the team to beat. The Asian powerhouse has won 32 gold medals. 17 of these have been in the women's category. Four nations that have never won gold - the USA, Norway, Egypt and Australia - are keen to challenge China's supremacy.

Chinese athletes are the favourites in all categories, as their statistics show: the three athletes heading to Paris 2024 have topped their rankings leading up to the French event. Among them, super-heavyweight Li Wenwen stands out despite an elbow injury. 

The injury kept her out of the Asian Games and the Qatar Grand Prix before she returned more than six months later to win the World Championships in Phuket, Thailand, in April. Brian Oliver of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) reported.

Li was far superior to Emily Campbell of Great Britain, who won in Tokyo, by 37 kg. She is now 29 kg ahead of her closest rival in the Paris ranking, Korea's Park Hyejeong. "I still have room for improvement," said Li, who described her World Cup victory as "one of my best performances in the last four years", according to the IWF.

Her team-mate Hou Zhihui, the Tokyo champion in the 49 kg category, set a world record in the snatch this year and is well ahead of three competitors in the 200 kg: India's Mirabai Chanu, Thailand's Surodchana Khambao and USA's Jourdan Delacruz.

Luo Shifang, who did not compete in Tokyo, also broke a world record in Phuket. Two Olympic champions, Canada's Maude Charron and Chinese Taipei's Kuo Hsing-Chun, are among her rivals in this category.

"One of the main reasons I decided to do another Olympic cycle was so my family could be in the stands watching me on the biggest stage in sport," said Charron, who won the 64kg category in Tokyo. Charron, who competed in Tokyo without an audience due to the pandemic, is the favourite after losing weight.

Other potential champions include Norway's Solfrid Koanda, who could become the first Scandinavian woman to win Olympic weightlifting gold. Another contender is Egypt's Sara Samir, a bronze medallist in the lighter weight category in Rio eight years ago, who could also become the first female champion for Africa and the Arab world.

Other potential medallists include Angie, who will be competing in the 71kg category, and Olivia Reeves of the USA. Reeves is the current leader and has won almost everything she has competed in on her way to Paris. She has competed in seven qualifiers and won all of them. 

Another alternative is Tara Nott, who won gold in Sydney in 2000 after the original champion was disqualified, although she did not receive her medal in the Olympic stadium.

The USA also have medal prospects with Delacruz in the 49kg category and super-heavyweight Mary Theisen Lappen. The USA are one of the countries that have grown the most in weightlifting in recent years. They have improved significantly.