Chen sets two Olympic records

Beijing: Chen Xiexia won China's first gold medal of the Beijing Games yesterday, setting two Olympic records in the women's 48-kilogram category.

Sibel Ozkan of Turkey won the silver medal, while Chen Wei-ling of Taiwan finished third.

"I have been thinking of winning a medal but never thought it would turn out to be the first gold medal for China," Chen Xiexia said. "I'm very happy and I think I did a very good job."

Buoyed by a roaring home crowd, the 25-year-old world champion dominated both events, lifting 95 kgs in the snatch and 117 kgs in the clean and jerk, an Olympic record.

Loud cheers

Her total score of 212 kgs was also an Olympic high score, beating the previous record by 2 kgs.

Ozkan was a distant second with a total of 199 kgs, 3 kgs ahead of Chen Wei-ling. The Taiwanese had a shot at the silver medal, but failed in her final attempt at 115 kgs, collapsing to the floor as the bar dropped. "It really hurt," she told reporters, but added she wasn't injured.

"I was a little bit stressed and nervous in the competition. That's why I didn't perform better."

The Taiwanese lifter, who also received loud cheers from the audience, tied South Korea's Im Jyongwha at 196 kgs but grabbed the bronze on lower body weight. Thailand's Pensiri Laosirikul finished in fifth place, while the 2004 Olympic champion, Nurcan Taylan of Turkey, was eliminated after three failed attempts in the snatch.

Afterward, Taylan said she was not well prepared for the competition.

"I only had 20 to 30 training days and I had injuries, so I could be better," she said.

It was clear already after the snatch, in which the bar is raised above the head in one continuous motion, that Chen was in a class of her own. She was already 7 kgs ahead of Ozkan after that event.

"Chen is very good," the 20-year-old Ozkan said.