19 Mar 06 17:25
Majeti Fetrie from Ghana enjoys his golden moment.In the Men's 77kg Weightlifting event, Majeti Fetrie from Ghana has won gold with India's Mohammed Zakir Asdullah winning silver and Pakistan's Muhammad Irfan Irfan winning bronze.
Fetrie's combined winning weight was 309kg which included a lift of 138kg in the Snatch and 171kg in the Clean and Jerk after failing the 175kg weight.
Twenty five year old Asdullah lifted 301kg with top weight lifts in the Snatch of 134kg on the second try and 167kg in the Clean and Jerk after missing the 176kg weight. Pakistan's Irfan scored 299kg in total with a Snatch weight of 137kg and a 162kg in the Clean and Jerk.
In the biggest surprise of the Weightlifting competition to date, the 77kg favourite Yukio Peter from Nauru was eliminated after three attempts to lift 140kg in the Snatch.
Peter was the highest ranked weightlifter across all categories competing at the Games and was expected to claim the gold.
He dropped the bar on his first attempt and used the time allocated to his second attempt to seek treatment for cramp. Peter again failed on his third and final lift and was eliminated from the competition.
Faavae Faauliuli from Samoa set a national record for the Snatch, lifting 126kg, and Linda Matsebula from Swaziland set a national record for both the Snatch (98kg), Clean and Jerk (122kg) and combined total (220kg).
The Women's 63kg class Weightlifting is also contested today at Melbourne Exhibition Centre.
The Women's 63kg will be a much closer contest. The favourite is Wales' Michaela Breeze who is recovering from knee surgery, but has been training well. Her main opposition is expected to come from Canadian duo Christine Girard and Meil McGerrigle.
Last Modified on 19/03/2006 21:31