RIO DE JANEIRO: Long Qingquan, of China, celebrates a successful lift in the men’s 56kg weightlifting competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. (Inset) Hidilyn Diaz, of the Philipines, wipes away tears after winning the silver medal in the women’s 53kg weightlifting competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. —AP

RIO DE JANEIRO: Long Qingquan of China set a world record in winning Olympic gold in the men’s weightlifting 53-kilogram category Sunday at the Rio de Janeiro Games. Long’s total score of 307 kilograms set the record and was aided by a final 170-kilo lift in clean and jerk. He was leading the competition after the snatch and all the way through clean and jerk until Om Yun-Chol of North Korea lifted 169 kilograms on his final attempt to tie Long for the lead.

Long then came out for his final lift, raised his bar and celebrated the gold medal by pumping his fists in the air. Om took silver with 303 kilograms and Sinphet Kruaithong of Thailand won bronze. In the women’s 53-kilogram category, Hsu Shu-Ching of Taiwan won her first Olympic gold medal when Li Yajun of China failed to complete the clean and jerk. Li set an Olympic record in the first round snatch by lifting 101 kilograms to take the lead into the clean and jerk. She was the last lifter to compete in the second round, and needed to lift 126 kilos to win gold. Her high entry total on the start list made her a favorite for the gold, but she failed to medal.

When Li didn’t complete her score, the gold went to Hsu, who lifted 100 kilos in snatch and 112 in clean and jerk for an overall score of 212 kilos. Hsu is the reigning world champion and won silver four years ago at the London Games. But London gold medalist Zulfiya Chinshanlo of Kazakhstan failed a doping retest and could have that medal revoked, which would make Hsu a double gold medalist. “I am very happy and very excited,” she said. Team doctor Lin Yin-Chou said Hsu was battling a strain in her thigh, and it was the “intelligence of our coaches” that pushed her to gold. “We have been wanting this gold medal for some time and it is especially pleasing because she has had an injury that she has been carrying,” Lin said. Hidilyn Diaz sprung a major surprise in the Philippines by winning a weightlifting silver medal in Rio — the country’s first Olympic medal for 20 years, officials said yesterday. Sports analysts in the Philippines had not expected the 1.54-metre (5ft 1/2in) tall Diaz to bag a medal at the 2016 Games after coming up empty in 2008 and 2012 games. “We had high hopes with other sports. So (Cruz’s medal) is a surprise.

A lot of people didn’t expect she would take a medal,” said Ronel Abrenica, executivedirector of the Philippine Sports Commission. But Abrenica said he noticed something from the 25-year-old, who became the first woman from the Philippines ever to win an Olympic medal A tearful Hidilyn Diaz said, she was lifted in the 58kg class in the 2008 Beijing Games as a 17-yearold and impressed many in the field, but she failed on all her clean and jerk attempts in London. Diaz dropped down to the lighter class for Rio, which had just seven competitors. “I have tried so hard. I have stumbled many times,” Diaz said. “I wanted to quit, but now all of my sacrifices have paid off.” — Agencies