bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Phila Siu

China’s superwoman weightlifter Xiang Yanmei suffered a sickening-looking accident when she dropped the bar – loaded with 118kg – on her head, but somehow recovered to win Olympic gold.
The first-time Olympian was on her final lift on the snatch when she lost her grip, the bar slamming her in the back of the head and whiplashing her neck.
WATCH: golden moments on Day 5 at Rio Olympics

But the 24-year-old appeared to shrug off the incident as she walked slowly off stage.
After a breather, she eventually lifted a total of 261kg, winning gold in the women’s 69kg category.
“I felt a little dizzy [when it hit me]. But I am okay now,” she said after the event. “It still hurts a little but that’s fine.”
Kazakhstan’s Zhazira Zhapparkul clinched silver with a combined score of 259kg while Egypt’s Sara Ahmed won bronze with 255kg.
WATCH: relive the action involving Hong Kong athletes on Day 4 and Day 5 at the Rio Olympics

Xiang dedicated her victory to her father.
“I started weightlifting when I was little because of my dad. My dad loves sports, but because of his family and his environment it did not really allow him to fulfill his dreams. In a lot of ways I am just like him and I also like to get the best result no matter what I do. It is why I hope I can fulfill his dreams.”
Deng Wei and Shi Zhiyong provide much needed lift for China’s Olympic Games medal tally
And she says she’s out to break Liu Chunhong´s world record of 286kg in the next year: “Ever since 2015 I have lifted 284kg in training and this result has happened two or three times since I have joined the national team. Liu has always been the standard and I always try to learn from her and in this 69kg category I would like to make history to reach the result of 287kg next year.”
It is China’s ninth gold in the Rio Olympics.
Xiang’s victory came the day after another Chinese weightlifter Deng Wei smashed the world record in the women’s 63kg category, and Shi Zhiyong took home gold in the men’s 69kg category.


Tsunami-hit Tonga’s oiled-up Olympic flag bearer Pita Taufatofua raises over US$340,000 in disaster aid

Former Chinese volleyball star Wei Qiuyue donates Olympic gold medal to country’s sports museum

Liu Xiaotong retires: Chinese Olympic volleyball champion to become a coach, saying ‘the thing I missed most was my passion’

Rio 2016 race walk champion Liu Hong retires after fourth place in National Games

Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Chinese weightlifter wins gold despite nasty bang on the head by bar

China's Xiang Yanmei wins gold during the Women's 69kg weightlifting competition at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Photo: AFP

Sport

China