Neelam hits the pits

Athens, Nov 25: India's Neelam S Laxmi finished at the bottom of the table after failing in all her three attempts in the clean-and-jerk ...

Athens, Nov 25: India’s Neelam S Laxmi finished at the bottom of the table after failing in all her three attempts in the clean-and-jerk of the women’s 69-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships here.

Laxmi lifted 100 kg in her first attempt in the snatch, but failed to hoist 105 kg in the second and third attempts to stand seventh.

Sun Tianni of China won the gold medals for total lift — 247.5 kg — and clean-and-jerk, in which she set a world record by hoisting 143 kg in her final attempt, half a kg more than the previous record of her countrywoman Lin Weining.

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Bulgaria’s Milena Trendafilova won two silver medals, in the snatch and total, with lifts of 105 kg and 232.5 kg, respectively. She also won the bronze in the clean-and-jerk.

Hungarian Erzsebet Markus took the gold in the snatch with a lift of 107.5 kg and the bronze in the total on higher bodyweight. Irina Kasimova of Russia won the silver medal in the clean-and-jerk, lifting 130 kg.

GOLDEN TREBLE: Galabin Boevski ofBulgaria set three world records sweeping competition in the men’s 69-kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships yesterday. To earn his three gold medals, Boevski added 2.5 kg to the previous world in the snatch. He lifted 162.5 kg, succeeding easily on his third and final attempt.