Weightlifting-Zabolotnaia sets 75kg world record

BANGKOK, Sep 25 (Reuters) Russia's Natalia Zabolotnaia broke her own world record in the women's 75kg snatch to win the gold medal at the world weightlifting championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand, today.

Zabolotnaia, the Olympic silver medallist in 2004, lifted 131kg, one kg more than the record she set at the world championships in Doha in 2005.

China's Cao Lei won the clean and jerk gold with 158kg but failed in her bid to lift the 160kg required for a world record.

Her 128kg lift in the snatch gave her a total of 286kg, which earned her the overall gold medal for a second successive year.

Cao's two golds took China's tally at the championships, the main qualifier for next year's Beijing Olympics, to 20.

Zabolotnaia, 22, hoisted 150kg in the clean and jerk to take the silver and second overall.

''I came here for the gold medal of course,'' Zabolotnaia was quoted as saying by China's Xinhua news agency.

''Breaking world records was also in my plan. I didn't perform well in the jerk, otherwise I could win the gold medal for the total. Maybe I panicked a little in the jerk.'' Teenager Andrei Aramnau of Belarus dominated the men's 105kg class, winning two gold medals.

The 19-year-old world junior champion won the snatch (195kg) and the total (423kg) after lifting 228kg for silver in the clean and jerk.

Bulgaria's Alan Tsagaev hoisted 231kg to win the gold medal in the snatch and took the overall silver with 411kg.

REUTERS BJR RAI1904