By Angelica Medina
PARIS (Reuters) -China’s Li Wenwen won her second Olympic gold medal with a dominant performance to take the title in the women’s over 81kg weightlifting at the Paris Games on Sunday.
The defending gold medallist in the heaviest women’s class did not come close to threatening her own world record of 335kg, but her total of 309kg was more than enough to see off the rest of the field at the Paris Expo.
A lift of 136kg in the snatch gave her a comfortable lead and she secured the gold with her second attempt in the clean and jerk with 173kg on the bar.
The 24-year-old, who had shushed the large Chinese contingent in the crowd before every lift, hoisted her diminutive coach in the air and carried him around the platform in celebration.
“He’s like a father to me,” Li told reporters. “I’m very happy now but actually I’m still very nervous. I got some major injuries last year so I’m still very stressed about them,” she added.
Li, whose gold looks set to help China top the Games medals table for the first time since 2008, has excelled in the unlimited category and took gold in the then over 87kg class in Tokyo and is a former world champion at the same category.
South Korea’s Park Hye-jeong took silver with a 299kg total, while Britain’s Emily Campbell was clearly delighted with her bronze medal after lifting a total of 288kg.
“I had so much fun getting ready today. Did my hair, did my makeup, everything,” Campbell said about her hair styling arranged in British colours with the Olympic Games rings at the back: “It took about three hours yesterday. We attached the rings today”.
“I hope I did everyone proud, and I hope British weightlifting gets the recognition it deserves. They’ve supported me through thick and thin, and I’m so glad I could get a medal,” she added.
The over 81kg women’s class is one of the new Olympic categories for Paris, after the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) reorganised the programme following the Tokyo Games.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Paris; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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