Chen sets three world records for weightlifting gold

DOHA, Dec 3 (Reuters) China's Olympic champion Chen Yanqing set three world records on the way to winning gold in the women's lightweight weightlifting at the Asian Games today.

The 58-kg ball of muscle, one of the best pound-for-pound weightlifters in the world, took the snatch record from compatriot Wang Li with a lift of 111 kg, before her clean and jerk of 140 kg gave her a competition total of 251.

In a demonstration of China's incredible depth of talent in weightlifting, Chen took the latter two records from Gu Wei, who clean and jerked 139 kg for a 241 total in Doha just over a year ago but failed to make China's team for the Asian Games.

The 27-year-old Chen also beat the world record marks in the clean and jerk and combined total in her hometown of Suzhou last October, but China's national games are not sanctioned for world records by the International Weightlifting Federation.

REUTERS PM PM1751