Chen Xiaomin Shatter the Snatch and Total World Records

Three world records were shattered on day four, Tuesday, of the Olympic weightlifting competition.

Chen Xiaomin broke the snatch and total world records in taking gold in the Women's 63 kilogram class. Not to be outdone, 31-year-old mother Erzsebet MARKUS from Hungary broke the snatch world record in the Women's 69kg class.

However, MARKUS had to settle for silver behind China's Lin Weining who bridged the 2.5kg deficit from the snatch with a powerful lift of 132.5kg in the jerk.

With the gold wrapped up, due to her lighter body weight, Lin made an unsuccessful attempt (145kg) on the clean and jerk world record.

Karnam MALLESWARI of India claimed bronze, securing India's first Olympic weightlifting medal.

With four day's of competition completed China head the medal standings with three gold and one bronze medal.

Bulgaria sit second (one gold, one silver, one bronze) and Croatia third (one gold).

Chen, who came to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games ranked number four in the world in the 69kg class, decided her best chance of winning a gold medal was to drop down a body weight category. She certainly justified that decision today!

Valentina POPOVA of Russia won silver and Ioanna CHATZIIOANNOU of Greece, the bronze.

With one Chinese lifter still to compete, DING Meiyuan in the Women's +75kg class, their four-member women's team can make a clean sweep of gold medals.

If not for the entry clause that limited each country to a maximum of four lifters, China could potentially have won gold in all seven contested body weight divisions.