Dominant Li lifts China’s fifth weightlifting gold at Paris

PARIS: China´s Li Wenwen eased to victory Sunday in the women´s heavyweight class to give her nation a fifth gold in the Olympic weightlifting competition in Paris -- hoisting her coach in the air to celebrate.

In the event for women with a bodyweight above 81 kilogrammes, the 150kg Li, who also won the superheavyweight category at the Tokyo Games, dominated.

She was so far ahead after two lifts in both the snatch and clean and jerk that she was able to pass on her final attempt in both categories.

At the end, with victory assured, she came out for the final lift of the Paris Olympic weightlifting competition and instead of picking up the bar, lifted her coach, Wu Meijin.

“A lot of people said on-line that I should lift my coach,” Li said. “I didn´t know if he would get angry, but I did it anyway.”

The 24-year-old finished with a total of 309kg, 10kg ahead of Park Hye-jeong of South Korea, with Tokyo silver medallist Emily Campbell of Britain another 11kg behind.

Traditionally the men´s superheavyweights close the Olympic programme. In their place, the women spent the morning hamming for the crowd who responded with raucous support. Campbell did a cartwheel on stage after her last attempt.