Chinese lifter Zhang Wangli sets new records at IWF World Cup

FUZHOU, South China -- Chinese weightlifter Zhang Wangli set new world records of clean and jerk and total in women's 76kg division to win the two gold medals and the silver of snatch at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup here on Tuesday.

Zhang, the gold medalist in the non-Olympic division of women's 71kg at the World Championships last year, finished all the attempts in the snatch but the third attempt of 120kg was judged as no lift for it was finished overtime.

The 23-year-old Zhang won the second place following the snatch gold winner, her compatriot Wang Zhouyu who lifted up the same weight of 120kg.

Zhang made good lifts of all the attempts of clean and jerk and the third one of 156kg outweighed the world standard (153kg) set by IWF for the new division. The total of 274kg equals to the world standard. Hence, the new world records of clean and jerk and total have been established by the Chinese girl.

Rim Jong-sim from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Rio Olympic champion in women's 75kg division, won the silvers of clean and jerk and total while the winner of clean and jerk and total at the World Championships Wang Zhouyu failed to challenge 148kg and 150kg at her second and the final attempts in the clean and jerk, won the third rankings of the two categories.

"I never lift up this weight on world event before. I found myself hard to calm down. When I eased myself, the time was not enough to complete the moves. It gives me a lesson for the future competition. Anyway, 118kg is already my personal best by now," Zhang said.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Tian Fuxuan won the second places in the snatch of 161kg, the clean and jerk of 205kg and the total of 366kg in men's 96kg division. The 26-year-old had lifted up 11 more kilos in total in the 94kg division last April at China's National Weightlifting Championships.

Chinese weightlifters have broken nine world records at the World Cup in Fuzhou since Saturday and eight of them were created by women athletes.