News

Impressive Li claims gold

China's Li Xueying produced an impressive display to claim Olympic Games gold in the Women's 58kg Weightlifting division. Li recorded a winning total of 246kg, with Thailand's Pimsiri Sirikaew finishing second (236kg) narrowly ahead of Yuliya Kalina, from Ukraine, who claimed the bronze (235kg). Great Britain's Zoe Smith finished 12th, setting a new GB clean-and-jerk record (121kg) and new personal best total (211kg) in her first taste of Games

OM Yun Chol (PRK)

Men’s 56kg “My plan to lift in the Group B to make my opponents nervous worked 100%. I feel very satisfied and happy about my

CHINSHANLO Zulfiya (KAZ)

Women’s 53kg “Right after the competition I’ve got a call from the President of Kazakhstan who congratulated me on my victory. I am very proud to have given pleasure to my

WANG Mingjuan (CHN)

Women’s 48kg “To succeed and stand on the top of the podium you need 70% hard work and 30% of

Sensational Om eclipses favourite

Om Yun Chol claimed gold in sensational style after double world champion and pre-competition favourite Wu Jingbiao failed to make his last lift in a thrilling finale to the men's Weightlifting 56kg category. Amazingly, Om, from DPR Korea, triumphed from the morning's B group - supposedly for second-tier lifters - and was present in the stands to watch China's Wu fall agonisingly short. Om, only the fifth man in history to lift triple his own body weight, put in a sensational performance as he equalled the world record and set a new Olympic best in the clean and jerk element (168kg). His overall total of 293kg was four kilos more than managed by Wu (289kg), who had to settle for silver, with fellow A group lifter Valentin Hristov, 18, claiming bronze - a first-ever weightlifting Olympic Games medal for Azerbaijan. Source: London

Records fall as Chinshanlo takes gold

Kazakhstan's Zulfiya Chinshanlo won Weightlifting gold in the women's 53kg, setting new Olympic and world records in the process. Chinshanlo lifted 131kg in the clean and jerk - a new Olympic and world best - to set a total 226kg - another Olympic record. The reigning world champion, who turned 19 this week, had earlier produced a snatch of 95kg. Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee, Sebastian Coe, was watching and said afterwards: 'You don't see world records every week. It was a fantastic piece of sport.' Hsu Shu-Ching, from Chinese Taipei, edged silver ahead of Republic of Moldova's Cristina Iovu by the slimmest of margins. Having tied with a total of 219kg, Hsu's marginally lighter bodyweight saw her push Iovu into the bronze-medal position. In the morning's 53kg Group B, Vietnam's Thi Thuy Nguyen edged Yu Weili, from Hong Kong, also by the virtue of a lighter bodyweight after they both tied on a total of 195kg. They sealed eighth and ninth place respectively following the Group A competition. Chinshanlo was congratulated by Kazakhstan president Nursultan Nazarbayev at the ExCeL after being presented with the gold medal. 'He came and said congratulations, but I won't tell you how much money he will give me. I am afraid I will be robbed,' laughed Chinshanlo. Hsu was also overjoyed to be heading home with a silver medal. She said: 'I am so happy I don't have the words to describe it.' Third-placed Iovu claimed Moldova's first-ever Weightlifting medal. 'I am very, very happy, I couldn't be happier,' she said. 'Of course it would have been brilliant to come second but it was difficult and the weights were heavy.' Source: London