China hopes to strike forfour gold medals in the Olympic weightlifting tournament in Athens,a top Chinese weightlifting official said here on Thursday.

Ma Wenguang, director of the weightlifting center of the State Sports General Administration of China, said that "the Chinese strongwomen are expected to reap three to four gold medals while their men compatriots for one to two titles at the Athens Olympic Games."

The women gold hopefuls are in the classes of 48kg, 58kg, 69kg and 75kgs and the Chinese strongmen also enjoy their upperhands inthe categories of 56kg, 62kg, 69kg, 77kg and 85kg.

Ma, who was attending the national women's weightlifting championships in Yongzhou, Hunan province, also a trial for the Olympic Games, singled out Wu Meijing and Le Maosheng as the hot favorites to reap gold medals for China, while injured Wang Mingjuan is another strong bet after she made a clean sweep in the2003 World Weightlifting Championships.

Source: Xinhua