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In a class all her own Chinese weightlifter Xia has golden record nightPosted: Monday September 18, 2000 12:00 AMUpdated: Thursday November 09, 2000 11:54 AM
SYDNEY, Australia (CNNSI.com) -- Soraya Jimenez won Mexico's first Olympic weightlifting gold medal Monday. Jimenez upset heavily favored North Korean Ri Song Hui on her final lift in the 58-kilogram division. North Korea protested unsuccessfully that Ri was set back when a marshal improperly blocked her way to the lifting podium before one of her earlier lifts. In the day's other competition, China's Yang Xia broke world records in the snatch, clean and jerk and total lift and easily won the gold medal at 53 kilos. North Korea protested after the clock ran out before Ri could make the second of her three lifts in the clean and jerk. The protest was disallowed by the International Weightlifting Federation, whose officials left the arena without commenting, as did Ri. "We were robbed of a gold medal," said Chang Ung, who heads the North Korean Olympic delegation and was on hand to present Ri with the gold medal. "They said they cannot reverse it. This is a complete mistake. This is the Olympics." Ri appeared devastated on the medals stand, although she congratulated Jimenez and held her hand in victory during the ceremony. "I knew her time ran out, but I didn't know why," Jimenez said. "I was concentrating and doing my tactics for my next lift." Ri led from her first lift of the night, and seemed confident of winning after lifting 122.5 kilograms (270 pounds) in the clean and jerk to take a 2.5-kilogram (5 1-2-pound) lead. But Jimenez, her face etched in concentration at the very moment her fans were at their loudest, stepped to the bar, steadied it as she carefully raised it and pumped 127.5 kilos (281 pounds) above her head -- enough to beat Ri by 2.5 kilos. Her total was 222.5 (490 pounds) to 220 (485 pounds) for Ri. Jiminez, who came in ranked fourth in the world, was enthusiastically supported by a group of 20 fans who injected some soccer-style cheering and energetic flag-waving into an arena that was two-thirds empty and mostly quiet except when Jimenez lifted. "What happened today is important for Mxican women," Jimenez said. "All I can say is practice, you never know what you might do." The bronze medal went to Thailand's Khassarporn Suta with a total of 210 (463 pounds). Jimenez, who is 23, trailed Ri by 2.5 kilos (5 1-2 pounds) following the snatch, then fell another 2.5 kilos behind when Ri outlifted her on the first of the three lifts in the clean and jerk. But when Ri missed her second lift, Jimenez tied her for the overall lead by lifting 122.5 kilos (270 pounds). Ri then matched that lift, giving her the lead and forcing Jimenez to lift 10 kilos (22 pounds) more on her final lift than she did on her first, an usually big jump in a sport where titles often are decided by a few kilograms. Earlier, Yang either tied or set world records with four of her five lifts. She passed on a third lift in the clean and jerk after she was assured of the gold and the world records. She finished with 225 kilos (496 pounds). The records were all the more amazing since she didn't even feel great. "I didn't prepare very well for today," she said. Taiwan rival Li Feng-ying, the previous world record holder in the clean and jerk, simply didn't have the muscle to match the strong and confident Yang's succession of powerful lifts and took the silver at 212.5 (468 1-4). Winarni Binti Slamet of Indonesia took the bronze with a total lift of 202.5 (446 1-4). Yang's gold medal was the first of what is expected to be four golds in women's weightlifting in the games for China, by far the dominant country in the sport. In the last 13 world championships, China has won 240 golds to 17 for runner-up Taiwan. China probably would win each o the seven women's weight classes, but no country is permitted to enter more than four lifters in the Olympics. Yang first tied the snatch record, then broke it by lifting 100 (220 1-4), breaking the record compatriot Meng Xianjuan set last year. That gave Yang the lead going into the clean and jerk, in which the bar is raised first to the chest and then overhead, allowing lifters to get more leg drive and arm strength. Yang initially lifted 122.5 (270) to break Li's record, set in November. But, aware that Li had the potential to break her record, Yang then pushed the record to 125 (275 1-2). Yang's total lift of 225 (496) easily broke the world record of 217.5 (479 1-2) set by Meng last year. Li, formerly of China and the reigning world champion, simply couldn't keep up, hitting 115 (253 1-2) on her first lift in the clean and jerk. Then, aware she was well behind Yang and needed to break the record herself for any chance at gold, she missed at 125 (275 1-2) and then at 127.5 (281), not coming close on either lift. Yang was a silver medalist in last year's world championships at 58 kilos (127 1-2 pounds), then dropped a weight class to give her a better chance at a medal. "I'm very happy," Yang said. "I wanted to win the Olympics, and now I want to win a world championship." The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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