Reigning world champion Behdad Salimikordasiabi had been trying to lift 241 kilograms in the clean and jerk but wasn’t able to hold the weight above his head. He dropped the barbell, appeared to gasp for breath a few times and then crumpled to the ground. He walked off the competition stage a few moments later.
“No problem, no problem,” he said afterward. “I had swine flu and a cold (about two weeks ago) and lost eight kilograms. Because of that, I was not in good shape for the Asian Games. But I came for a gold medal.” He finished with 205 in the snatch and 235 in clean and jerk, for a combined winning total of 440 kilograms. He did not return for his last attempt after collapsing.
South Korea’s Jeon Sang-guen had a chance to win on his final lift with a 251 kilogram attempt, but strained to get it the bar up to his shoulders and ended up dropping it halfway. He finished second with a combined 428 kilograms.
Sajjad Anoushiravani of Iran took the bronze, with 427.
Weightlifting legend Hossein Rezazadeh, known as the “Iranian Hercules,” cheered from the VIP section, next to Iranian vice president Ali Saeedlou.
South Korea’s Jang Mi-ran, dubbed the world’s strongest woman, edged China’s Meng Suping earlier in the evening, though both lifted a combined 311 kilograms. Meng finished second because she weighs 116.7 kilograms, more than Jang who is 115.9.
“I thought my form today was pretty good but ... now that the competition is over I’m sore all over,” said Jang, an Olympic gold medalist and three-time world champion who is now looking ahead to London. “This gives me more confidence and motivation for the road ahead.” Meng, who beat Jang at this year’s world championships to finish with the silver, said “big sister Mi-ran” deserved the latest win.
“It depends on your effort, it has little to do with body weight,” she said. “You just have to go out onto the floor and compete. If you can lift it, you lift it. If you drop it, you drop it.” It was a tense matchup between the two women who dominate the over-75 kilogram weight class, with the final result coming down to their last attempts. Mariya Grabovetskaya of Kazakhstan finished third but trailed far behind, lifting a total of 290 kilograms.
China finished the weightlifting competition with eight golds, failing to match its 10-gold performance at the 2006 Asian Games.
Yang Zhe secured China’s only gold of the day in the 105 kilogram weight class, improving his chances of an appearance in London.
The 19-year-old appeared to be buoyed by chants from the home fans, lifting 185 kilograms in the snatch and 217 in the clean and jerk to win with a combined 402.
He finished two kilograms ahead of Ivan Efremov of Uzbekistan, who failed on his last attempt at 223 kilograms in the clean and jerk that would have given him the lead.
He finished with 182 in the snatch and 218 in the clean and jerk.
Sergey Istomin of Kazakhstan won the bronze, lifting a combined 396.
Yang only made his debut with the Chinese team at the East Asian Games in Hong Kong last year and said he appreciated having the chance to compete with Efremov and Istomin, the top Asian finishers at the world championships.
“I’ve learned a lot from these two experts, they have great competition experience and persistence,” Yang said.
“My future goals are definitely the world championships and the 2012 London Olympics. I’m going to work my hardest in the next few years to fight for the chance to compete in London.” With his strapping physique and easy confidence, Yang has all the makings of becoming a sports heartthrob in China.
Fans raced to slap hands with him as he left the arena and he was mobbed by female games volunteers after a post-victory news conference.
He gave a few clever responses when the questions turned to non-competition issues.
“Being so handsome isn’t my problem, I got it from my parents. Whether people like me or not, I can’t control that,” he said, without answering a journalist’s question as to whether he had a girlfriend.
He shrugged and flashed a grin when the journalist asked him to name his idols. “When it comes to idols, I guess I’m a bit narcissistic.”