Kicking off the weightlifting competition on Saturday will be the women’s 48.0kg (106.0 lbs) weight class.
The group is expected to be led by 19-year-old Hou Zhihui, who defeated 2013 and 2014 World Champion Tan Yayun in the Chinese National Championships. Her total of 210kg (462.9 lbs) would have won the gold in the 2012 Olympics.
Other contenders include Ukraine’s Yulia Paratova, who finished fifth in London, and Japan’s Hiromi Miyake, who is looking for her first Olympic medal in four games.
The United States will be represented by 30-year-old Morghan King. She will be the first American entry in the 48kg since Tara Nott won the gold medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Austrailia.
China’s Yang Lain holds the world record for snatch (98.0kg/216.1 lbs) and total weight (217.0kg/478.4 lbs). Nurcan Taylan of Turkey has the record for clean and jerk (121.0kg/266.8 lbs).
Watch the event live on NBCOlympics.com