China's Deng wins weightlifting gold, sets world record

China's Deng Wei, a three-time world weightlifting champion but an Olympic rookie, made her debut at the ongoing Olympic Games by taking the gold medal in the 63 kilogram (139 pound) category and setting a new world record.

The 23-year-old Deng, who won the world championship in the 58 kilogram (128 pound) category in 2010 and in the 63 kilogram category in 2014 and 2015, set a new Olympic record in the clean and jerk on Tuesday by lifting 147 kilograms (324 pounds) and she also broke both the world and Olympic records with a total weight lifted of 262 kilograms (578 pounds), reports Efe.

Deng's clean and jerk lift smashed the Olympic record by 12 kilograms (26 pounds), and her performance in total weight lifted bested the world record by 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds).

Deng is the first Chinese athlete to win a medal in the event since 2000 and far outstripped the silver medalist, North Korea's Choe Huo Sim, who hefted a total of 248 kilograms (546 pounds), and the bronze winner, Kazakhstan's Karina Goricheva, who lifted a total of 243 kilograms (535 pounds).

Deng is the second female weightlifter in history to win the World and Olympic titles in the same season, the first being Ukraine's Natalia Skakun, who did so in 2004.

Colombia's Mercedes Perez lifted a total of 234 kilograms (515 pounds) to take fourth place, and Mexico's Eva Gurrola hefted 220 kilograms (484 pounds) for the fifth place spot.

--IANS

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