Agony for Chatuphum as bronze slips away

Thai teenager Chatuphum Chinnawong failed in his attempts to lift 195kg in the clean and jerk, letting his opportunity of a bronze medal slip through his fingers.

Chatuphum, double gold medallist at last year’s Asian Junior Weightlifting Championships, got his chance at a medal when reigning champion Sa Jaehyouk injured his right arm while attempting 162kg in the snatch event and was forced to pull out of the competition.

Chatuphum finished third among 12 rivals following a lift of 157kg in his first attempt in snatch. He failed in his two subsequent attempts, at 161 and 162kg. In the clean and jerk, he hoisted 191kg in his first attempt, but could not lift 195kg in his further two attempts. A total lift of 348kg earned Chatuphum fourth place overall.

Chatuphum was aiming to make history as the first Thai male to win an Olympic medal in weightlifting. 

However, a consolation is that he can claim Bt300,000 from Tan Passakornnatee, the owner of Ichitan ready-to-drink green tea. Tan has promised to award Bt10 million to any Thai gold medallist, Bt1 million to silver medallists and Bt500,000 to bronze winners. Fourth place will earn Bt200,000 from the green-tea tycoon, while all 37 Thai athletes taking part in the London Games will pocket Bt100,000 apiece.

 

Lu, North Korean Rim shine

China’s Lu Xiaojun bettered his own snatch and total marks in the men’s injury-hit -77kg class.

It was China’s fourth gold medal of the competition, and a welcome riposte to the rumbling might of reclusive communist neighbours North Korea, for whom Rim Jong-Sim won the women’s -69kg class, their third gold.

Lu snatched 175kg, 1kg better than his previous mark, and registered a best clean and jerk of 204kg to leave him a combined total of 379kg, also beating his previous world record by 1kg.

The total left him a clear winner after closest rivals Lu Haojie of China and South Korean Sa Jaehyouk – back from an injury that saw him miss three weeks training in the run up to the Games – both withdrew with arm injuries.

Lu Haojie, however, still claimed silver with a total of 360kg (170, 190), a massive 19kg adrift. Cuban Ivan Cambar Rodriguez took bronze with an even more distant 349kg (155, 194).

It was North Korea’s third gold after title-winning performances by Kim Un-Guk and Om Yun-Chol in the men’s -62 and 56kg classes respectively, while Ryang Chun-Hwa nabbed a bronze in the women’s 48kg category.