UTeM BMFR Weblog

BEIJING (AFP) — Chen Xiexia gave China its first gold of the 2008 Olympics when she won the women’s 48kg weightlifting title on Saturday.

Yelling “jia you!” (come on!) to pump her up in front of a roaring gallery, the 25 year-old world champion succeeded on all six attempts as she set two new Olympic records with a lift total of 212kg and a final clean and jerk heave of 117kg on the way to victory.

Czech shooter Katerina Emmons earlier took the honour of winning the first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics as the first full day of competition began on Saturday after a dazzling opening ceremony.

After China showcased its rich history in a breathtaking spectacular on Friday night, competitors began their quest for the seven gold medals on offer on the opening day.

The first came at the shooting range where former world record holder Emmons shattered China’s hopes of dominating the sport on home soil, with China’s defending Olympic champion Du Li a distant fifth.

Lioubov Galkina of Russia won the silver and Snjezana Pejcic of Croatia claimed the bronze.

Of the other medal events on Saturday, China’s world champion Peng Wei is a strong contender to win the day’s other shooting discipline, the men’s 10m air pistol.

Other finals include the men’s cycling road race, women’s 48kg weightlifting and individual sabre fencing as well as two judo divisions the women’s 48kg and men’s 60kg classes.

The competition proper began at dawn on Saturday in Hong Kong when veteran Olympic champion Mark Todd came out of retirement to become the first rider to compete in the three-day equestrian event.

“I didn’t expect to be number one, it was just the luck of the draw,” said Todd, equestian’s “Rider of the 20th Century” who won gold at Los Angeles and Seoul, and retired after claiming individual bronze in Sydney in 2000.

“I’m used as cannon fodder. They said send the old bugger out there first and see what happens.”

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