Liao Hui won the men's 69kg title in the weightlifting here on Tuesday and gave the host China the fifth gold medal in the event at the Beijing Olympics.

The gold helped China equal the number of weightlifting Olympic golds it won in Athens four years ago, and there are still six days of competition to go.

China won five gold medals in Athens, which was the best result for the world weightlifting powerhouse.

In women's 63kg, DPR Korean lifter Pak Hyon Suk scored a narrow win, bringing the first gold to her country at the Games.

Liao Hui won the mens' 69kg division at 348kg, beating French Vencelas Dabaya-Tientcheu by 10kgs who took the silver medal thanks to lighter body weight. Tigran Martirosyan of Armenia came third.

The 20-year-old Liao, taking part in his second international events, struggled in the snatch. He claimed 153kg first but only cleared it in the second attempt. As Lee Baeyoung made the lift of 155kg in his third attempt, Liao had to overcome 158kg and made it with a loud shout.

Then he jerked 185kg on his second attempt to maintain the lead, but Dabaya-Tientcheu responded with 187kg in his first lift. After Liao finished 190kg in his final attempt, Dabaya-Tientcheu had to lift more than 197kg, which is a world record weight.

Vencelas failed twice at 197kg, giving Liao his first Olympic gold.

Shi Zhiyong, who won the title of men's 62kg in Athens and changed to 69kg division after that, lifted 152kg in the snatch and quit the competition before the clean and jerk battle.

"Shi hurt his waist before the clean and jerk event and have to quit the competition," said Chen Wenbin, head coach of China's men's team.

Before Liao, China had swept all the four gold medals in the events that the Chinese weightlifter took part.

Early on Tuesday, Pak Hyon Suk totaled 241kg to beat Kazakhstan's rookie lifter Irina Nekrassova, who lifted 240kg in total, in the women's 63kg class. The bronze went to Lu Ying-Chi of Chinese Taipei, who cleared a total of 231kg.

Russian medal hopeful Svetlana Tsarukaeva, runner-up of the 2007 world championships, dropped off competition due to three failed attempts in snatch, the event turned out to be an one-to-one fight between Pak, bronze medalist of 2007 world championships, and 20-year-old Nekrassova.

Nekrassova lifted 110kg in snatch and Pak snatched 106kg.

Pak tried to catch up with Nekrassova in clean and jerk by trying 135kg in her first two attempts, but failed. Nekrassova succeeded the first attempt of 130kg, but failed in the last two for 135kg.

The 23-year-old Pak, in her do-or-die last try, seized the chance and made it, grabbing the gold from Nekrassova, who could not help crying.

"Although the athletes before me didn't perform well, I did my best," said Pak, noting that the gold is the biggest present for the 60-year anniversary of the founding of DPR Korea.

Source:Xinhua