More records as China's Lu, North Korean Rim shine

LONDON (AFP) –

China’s Lu Xiaojun (L) celebrates with his coach during the men’s 77kg group A weightlifting event during the London 2012 Olympic Games at The Excel Centre in London. Lu bettered his own snatch and total world records in the men’s injury-hit 77kg class on the way to winning China’s fourth Olympic weightlifting gold at the London Games on Wednesday.

More world records fell on the fifth day of Olympic weightlifting action on Wednesday as China’s Lu Xiaojun bettered his own snatch and jerk total marks in the men’s injury-hit -77kg class.

It was China’s fourth gold medal of the competition, and a welcome riposte to the rumbling might of reclusive communist neighbours North Korea, for whom Rim Jong-Sim won the women’s -69kg class, their third gold.

Lu snatched 175kg, a kg better than his previous mark, and registered a best clean and jerk of 204kg to leave him with a combined total of 379kg, also beating his previous world record by a single kg.

The total left him a clear winner after closest rivals Lu Haojie of China and South Korean Sa Jaehyouk — back from an injury that saw him miss three weeks of training in the run up to the Games — both withdrew with arm injuries.

2010 world and European champion Tigran Martirosyan of Armenia was also a late withdrawal, as he failed to weigh in.

China’s Lu Xiaojun competes in the men’s 77kg group A weightlifting event during the London 2012 Olympic Games at The Excel Centre in London. Lu won gold.

Lu Haojie, however, still claimed silver with a total of 360kg (170, 190), a massive 19kg adrift. Cuban Ivan Cambar Rodriguez took bronze with an even more distant 349kg (155, 194).

“Confidence. In the end I kept my confidence and belief in myself that I could do it,” Lu said of his final lift for the total world record.

“I feel absolutely amazing. Most of the records were my own to begin with, but I’m very happy.”

Rim, 19, recorded a combined total of 261kg after snatching 115kg and registering a best in the clean and jerk of 146kg.

Romanian Roxana Cocos took silver with a total of 256kg (113, 143), with Belarus’ Maryna Shkermankova claiming bronze with 256kg (113, 143) on the heavier bodyweight rule.

North Korea’s Rim Jong Sim competes for the gold medal during the women’s 69kg group A weightlifting event at The Excel Centre in London during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

It was North Korea’s third gold after title-winning performances by Kim Un-Guk and Om Yun-Chol in the men’s -62 and 56kg classes respectively, while Ryang Chun-Hwa nabbed a bronze in the women’s 48kg category.

Rim, like Kim and Om, was quick to put her victory down to her communist homeland’s late “Great Leader” Kim Jong-Il and his son and successor, “Great Comrade” Kim Jong-Un.

“Even though it was a very close competition, I gained strength to give joy to our supreme leader,” said Rim, whose best in the total has improved by a massive 30kg in just one year.

“I won’t be greedy or proud. That way I will win more gold medals in the future.”

In an exceptionally tight competition marred by the withdrawal through injury of Russia’s world champion Oxana Slivenko, three lifters snatched 115kg to set up a nail-biting clean and jerk session.

With gamesmanship to the fore, the North Korean prowess on the clean and jerk was again evident when Rim entered with ease at 142kg.

She managed to get the barbell overhead at 146kg, but failed to find stability and the bar slipped away to leave her sprawling on her backside.

Cocos came back out for her third attempt, but just failed to nail what would have been a lift for gold medal position.

The session belonged to Rim, who delighted the raucous 6,000-capacity crowd at the ExCel Arena when she somehow managed to nail her third attempt, also at 146kg.

With heart in mouth, the North Korean seemed to freeze as the jerk went up. Silence descended for a couple of seconds before she slowly edged her feet level, to the roars from the spectators and her coaching team.