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| Ilya Ilin is swamped by his coach Ni Alexey [GALLO/GETTY] |
Ilya Ilin won Kazakhstan's first weightlifting gold medal in the Beijing Olympics, edging his opponents in a close contest for the men's 94 kilogram title.
Ilin finished with a total of 406 kg, sealing the win with the last of his lifts.
European champion Szymon Kolecki of Poland took second place and Russia's Khadzhimurat Akkaev won the bronze.
Kolecki and Ilin were in a tight race ahead of their last clean and jerk, raising the weights kilogram by kilogram until the spiky-haired Ilin finally went for it at 226 kg.
His lift was successful, setting off loud cheers by flag-waving Kazakhs in the crowd.
Kolecki added two kilograms to the bar in a final attempt to gain the gold, but couldn't pull it off.
Georgian lifter's brave effort
Georgian lifter Arsen Kasabiev, from the conflict-torn province of South Ossetia, failed a brave effort to jump from fourth to first place in the final lift of the competition.
He stumbled trying to clean and jerk 231 kg and fell with the barbell crashing down on top of him. Kasabiev was helped off the stage.
In the snatch, the bar is raised above the head in one continuous motion.
The clean and jerk is a two-part lift in which the bar is first raised to shoulder level before being pushed overhead.
China won eight of the 15 weight classes but was not represented in the 84-kg category, which was the most even so far.
The men's two heaviest divisions will be decided Monday and Tuesday.
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