HANGZHOU, Oct 3 — Bicep-flexing Indonesian Rahmat Erwin Abdullah won weightlifting gold and extended his own world record at the Asian Games on Tuesday after one of the favourites from China crashed out.

Abdullah had already clinched the 73kg men’s gold when he loaded 201kg on the bar for a final clean and jerk attempt, 1kg above the record he set in December last year at the World Championships in Bogota.

The Olympic bronze medallist coolly completed the lift to give him a 359kg winning total, before inviting his coach onto the stage and the pair made strongman poses to the audience.

“I don’t really count the world records I break,” said Abdullah. “I always want to focus and stay calm in competition.

“The key to winning is to stay calm. I know that I will win. I needed to do that and not waste any energy.”

Abdullah’s celebrations raised loud cheers from a Hangzhou Sports Centre Gymnasium which minutes earlier was shocked into silence as Wei Yinting was eliminated.

Wei, leading Abdullah by 3kg after the snatch discipline, failed with all three attempts at his opening clean and jerk of 180kg.

The Chinese said he was carrying a knee injury.

“It affected me a little bit, I was just a little bit anxious to pull up. The knee injury affected the clean and jerk a little bit more, and less in the snatch. It hurts when I try to lift.

“I was not expecting that I could not lift 180kg.”

Wei’s disastrous series of no-lifts left the door open for Thailand’s world champion Weeraphon Wichuma to take silver on 351.

“I am very happy with this medal because it was very hard work,” said Weeraphon.

“It took me two weeks to recover after winning the world championships in Saudi Arabia (in September) and I then had only two weeks to train for this. That’s tough.”

Abdullah’s victory gave him the seventh weightlifting gold of the Games and first for an athlete from outside North Korea or China.

Oh Kum Thaek was third on 344kg, as North Korea, on their return to international competition after four years away, failed to get on the top two steps of the podium for the first time in the Hangzhou weightlifting competition.

“This is my first competition at the age of 26,” said Oh, who has no international pedigree. “I feel a bit regretful that I did not win gold today.”

Oh said he started weightlifting at the age of 12 but so far had only taken part in national competitions in North Korea.

“It feels like I started my career today. I will now train and train and do better.” — AFP