Weightlifting: Kazakh prodigy takes gold, world record

LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 29: Zulfiya Chinshanlo of Kazakhstan celebrates with the gold medal on the podium after the Women

Kazakhstan’s teenage prodigy Zulfiya Chinshanlo powered her way to a weightlifting gold in the 53kg category Sunday, breaking her own world record in the clean and jerk.

The 19-year-old posted a snatch of 95 kg before making history with 131 kg in the clean and jerk, one kilogram more than her effort at last year’s world championships.

The total of 226 kg gave a seven-kilo winning margin ahead of Hsu Shu-Ching of Chinese Taipei, who took the silver, and Moldova’s Cristina Iovu, who won the bronze.

Hsu was awarded the silver over Iovu due to a lesser bodyweight.

China’s 17-year-old prodigy Zhou Jun, one of the favourites for gold, was a surprise early casualty, failing to snatch 95 kg.

Another contender, Yuderqui Contreras of the Dominican Republic, also crashed out in the snatch after dropping all three attempts at 94 kg.