Dragneva wins first women’s weightlifting gold

Sydney: Izabela Dragneva of Bulgaria became the first women's weightlifting champion in Olympic history on Sunday when she won the 48-kg category.

Dragneva, four times a European champion in higher weight classes, snatched 85 kgs and lifted 105 kgs in the clean and jerk for a total of 190 kgs. Her Olympic gold was the first to be awarded in women's lifting, which is making its debut at the Sydney Games.

Tara Nott took silver for a fast-improving United States team with a score of 185 kgs. Indonesia's Raema Lisa Rumbewas also lifted 185 kgs, but was relegated to bronze due to greater bodyweight.

The big disappointment of the competition was Bulgaria's Donka Mincheva who made a hash of her three attempts at the snatch and failed to qualify for the clean and jerk. Mincheva is the world champion and four-times European champion and had been expected to take at least silver.

She is also the world record holder at clean and jerk and had been tipped to dominate the second part of the contest. Indonesia's Sri Indriyani and Japan's Kaori Niyanagi, second and third respectively in last year's world championships, also failed to live up to expectations and finished outside the medal positions.

Dragneva cleared 80 kgs with her first snatch and after one failed attempt lifted 85 kgs with her third. She comfortably jerked 100 kgs with her first attempt, lifted 105 kgs with her second and, with the gold medal assured, declined her third.

Brazil's Maria Jorge, the oldest weightlifter at the Olympics at 43, lifted 135 kgs. Jorge, who worked as a washerwoman and in a pizzeria in southern Brazil before taking up lifting in her thirties, snatched 60 kgs and jerked 75 kg.



(c) Reuters Limited.