Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarak of Thailand claimed the title in the women's 53kg category weightlifting at Beijing Olympics on Sunday, setting a new Olympic record in clean and jerk.

Jaroenrattanatarak lifted 95kg in snatch and 126kg in clean and jerk for a winning total of 221kg. She attempted to break the world record of 129kg held by China's Li Ping, but failed.

South Korean Yoon Jinhee beat Belarus' Nastassia Novikava because of a lower body weight for the silver medal as both made the two-lift total of 213kg.

It's a keen competition for the second place between Novikava, runner-up of the 2007 wolrd championships and Yoon Jinhee, bronze medalist of the same event.

Novikava equalled Prapawadee in snatch with 95kg after both of them failed to lift 97kg, and Yoon Jinhee snatched 94kg.

Novikava failed her first attempt in clean and jerk and finished with 118kg, while her South Korean rival succeeded in her final attempt to lift 119kg.

Prapawadee dominated the clean and jerk as she started with an attempt to lift 120kg, which no one else succeeded.

China didn't enter lifters in this class.

(Xinhua News Agency August 10, 2008)