North Korea wins second weightlifting gold in Asian Games
Pang Kum-chol won another gold medal for North Korea in the weightlifting competition of the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games at the Dongguan Gymnasium on Tuesday.
He lifted 156kg in the snatch and 192kg in the clean and jerk for a winning total of 348kg in the men's 77kg category.
Pang actually finished behind local favourite Su Dajin after the snatch. But the Chinese, who had a snatch lift of 158kg, failed in all his three attempts in the clean and jerk.
Pang and Su were the heavy favourites to win the gold in the absence of world champion and world record holder Lu Xiaojun and Olympic champion Li Hongli. But the 24-year-old Su failed to live up to expectations, failing thrice at 190kg to the dismay of local
fans.
Kazakh lifters Kirill Pavlov and Dauren Shauyeteyev benefited from Su's meltdown to win the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Pavlov lifted 147kg in the snatch and cleared 178kg in the clean and jerk for a 325kg total. Shauyeteyev made a snatch lift of 140kg and a clean and jerk effort of 170kg for a 310kg total.
"I was only thinking about 192 kilograms (in clean and jerk) because that's all I needed for gold," Pang told the Associated Press.
He said that jeers and taunts from the hostile crowd did not bother him. "Actually the jeers helped me in lifting 192 kilograms."
Pang, who celebrated his 29th birthday last Friday, dedicated his victory to the late North Korean leader Kim Il-sung.
"We compete not for rewards. Sports is a good way to win honour for your country and I dedicate my victory to my leader," he said.
Pang's gold is North Korea's second in weightlifting following Kim Kum-sok's victory in the men's 69kg division on Monday.
In the day’s main event, Maiya Maneza of Kazakhstan ruled the women's 63kg division. The 25-year-old saved her best performance in the clean and jerk event to pip South Korean Kim Soo-kyung for the gold.
Maneza ranked only third after the snatch event with a lift of 106kg. But she hauled 135kg in the clean and jerk for a 241kg total.
Kim lifted 107kg in the snatch but could only manage 133kg in the clean and jerk for a 240kg final tally.
China's Chen Aichan lifted 108kg in the snatch but hauled only 125kg in the second session, failing at 130kg and 131kg. She settled for the bronze with a 233kg total.
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