Weightlifting powerhouse China continued its gold run, winning its third Olympic gold medal Wednesday night when Zhang Guozheng held on to win the men's 69kg class at the Nikaia Olympic Hall.

Athens champion album: Chinese Zhang, men's 69kg weightlifting

On the women's side Wednesday, Nataliya Skakun of Ukraine, a world champion last year in Vancouver claimed the gold in the women's 63kg division and set a new Olympic record.

A world champion for the past two years, Zhang got off to a flying start with a 160kg snatch to give him a 7.5kg advantage over Lee Bae Young of South Korea.

Lee fought back in the clean and jerk to a position where he could have drawn level with Zhang on his final lift and take gold on bodyweight difference. But he failed and finished with a total of 342.5kg which was 5kg less than Zhang.

The bronze medal went to Nikolay Pechalov of Croatia, who has joined Ronny Weller of Germany and Norbert Schemansky of the United States as the only weightlifters to win four medals at Olympic Games.

"I felt pain in my back during my attempts today, but also during training the previous days," he told reporters.

Zhang got his waist injured and tumbled on the platform at the third attempt in the clean and jerk.

"I was a bit worried during the clean and jerk competition that I was in pain," he said. "In my second attempt (at 192.5kg), the pain got worse," he said.

"Fortunately, I was successful," he said. "So I am very happy."

In the women's 63kg discipline, Hanna Batsiushka of Belarus, who took the silver due to bodyweight difference from Skakun as both lifted a total of 242.5kg, snatched a world mark of 115.0kg.

In the snatch, Batsiushka led by 7.5kg over the gold medallist, who later proved her dominance as the world record holder in clean and jerk by lifting a decisive 135.0kg, a new Olympic record.

Belarus took a second medal in the discipline when Tatsiana Stukalava of Belarus lifted a total of 222.5kg.

"I came her to win the gold medal and not necessarily to break the world record," Skakun told reporters. "However, if I had to, I would have broken it."

Training for many years in this power sport, Skakun was curious at the beginning of weightlifters.

"I was interested in weightlifting and what the lifters did," she said. "But I gradually loved the sport."

Talking about another pre-competition favorite, Anastasia Tsakiri of the host nation, Skakun said she sees more opportunities to compete with her further.

"If she hadn't had problems, there would have been exciting competition," she said. "I hope that her injury won't be serious or permanent, so that we will compete against each other in future."

Anastasia Tsakiri, winner of two golds and four silvers at world championships, had born the hopes of the Greek fans and stirred up roars of cheers at the Nikaia Olympic Weightlifting Hall.

Source: Xinhua