Thailand wins women’s 53kg weightlifting gold

Jaroenrattanatarakoon, who changed her name last year, won the women’s 53-kilogram category with a total of 221 kilograms (486.2 pounds) and set an Olympic record in the clean and jerk.

South Korea’s Yoon Jinhee finished in second place and Natassia Novikava of Belarus got the bronze.

The Thai lifter, who used to be known as Junpim Kuntatean, said a fortune teller told her to change her name last year to improve her luck, and it seems to have worked.

“I changed the name because I wanted to win the Olympic Games,” Jaroenrattanatarakoon said. “I don’t know if you believe in fortune tellers but she said that if I change my name I will win gold.”

She was tied with Novikava after the snatch, but clinched the win with her first clean and jerk at 120 kgs (264 pounds), a weight than no one else was able to match.

After setting the Olympic record in her second attempt, she went for a world record clean and jerk in her third lift. But 126 kgs (277.2 pounds) was too much, and she gave up halfway through the lift, laughing.

“I don’t mind that I didn’t get the record. I just wanted a medal,” she said. Apart from the name change, the absence of Chinese lifters was also a big help. China has some of the top competitors in the weight class, including world champion Li Pin. But China prioritized other divisions because no country can send more than four women to compete in Olympic weightlifting.

“I’m lucky that China didn’t send a lifter in this category,” Jaroenrattanatarakoon said. “Then I would have had to be more careful.”

Her total was 8 kgs (17.6 pounds) better than Yoon and Novikava. Yoon got the silver because of a lower body weight.

Novikava, silver medalist in the 2007 World Championships, had expected to do better than third place, and couldn’t hold back the tears were as she stepped onto the podium.

“I am satisfied, but of course I wanted to get more than bronze,” she told reporters. “At training sessions I lifted more than I lifted at today’s competition.”

Melanie Roach of the United States set an American record with 193 kgs (424.6 pounds), finishing in sixth place.

Jaroenrattanatarakoon’s last name didn’t fit on the digital scoreboard at the Beijing weightlifting gym, so it was simply abbreviated as “J.”

The first name roughly translates to “good girl,” while the surname means “prosperous,” said Boosaba Yodbangtoey, the president of the Thai weightlifting federation.

On Saturday, Chen Xiexia won China’s first gold medal of the Beijing Games in the women’s 48-kg category. Another dominant Chinese lifter, Chen Yangqing, is expected to defend her 2004 Olympic title in the women’s 58 kg on Monday.

Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email