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Zhang Xiangxiang during the competition
Zhang Xiangxiang of China won gold medal in the men's 62kg category weightlifting with a total result of 319kg at the Beijing Olympic Games on Monday.
Colombia's Diego Salazar took the silver with 305kg, the delegation's first medal at Beijing Olympics. Triyatno of Indonesia got the bronze with 298kg.
Zhang, 25, kneeled down four times to thank home fans, who roared to support him when he tried to break the world record in his third clean and jerk attempt.
"It's also for all my supporters," he said.
Zhang was still very happy despite the failed try at the world record. He crouched on the platform and kissed the barbells.
"The world record is a personal honor, while the gold is the honor of the country, so gold matters more than the record," he added.
Zhang finished number one in the snatch with 143kg. At that time, he still faced strong threats from Ji Hun-min of South Korea, who snatched 142kg, and DPR Korean lifter Im Yong Su, world champion of 2002, with 138kg. But both challengers failed in all three attempts in clean and jerk.
Zhang, bronze medallist at the Sydney Olympic Games in men's 56kg category, was upgraded to current category and got the junior world champion in 2002. He survived a medical accident, which almost took his life, in 2003 and got into low ebbs till 2006.
"As long as you have life, you can create everything," Zhang noted.
(L-R) Silver medallist Diego Salazar of Colombia, gold medallist Zhang Xiangxiang of China, and bronze medallist Triyatno of Indonesia at the award ceremony
(Xinhua News Agency August 11, 2008) | 
