Olympics-Weightlifting-Papua New Guinea's Toua becomes first 5-time woman Olympian lifter

FILE PHOTO: Weightlifting - Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games - Women's 53 kg Final - Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre - Gold Coast , Australia - April 6, 2018. Loa Dika Toua of Papua New Guinea reacts. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

TOKYO (Reuters) -When women's weightlifting was introduced as an Olympic sport in 2000, Papua New Guinea's then 16-year-old Loa Dika Toua became the first-ever female Olympian lifter. On Saturday in Tokyo, the now 37-year-old athlete did it for the fifth time.

Wearing her country's flag colours of red and black, Toua grabbed the bar with a scream, lifted 167 kg in total and smiled in joy, making a heart gesture with her hands at the television camera that she said was for her children.