Romanian weightlifter Mihaela Cambei brings home the silver medal

In a nail-biting two hour contest at the South Paris Arena in the women’s 49kg, it looked like Romania’s Mihaela Cambei would take the gold medal. But China’s Hou Zhihui gambled everything on her final lift to win and set a new world record.

Romanian weightlifter Mihaela Cambei almost won an Olympic gold in the women’s 49kg weight category.

Cambei, 21, set herself up as the woman to beat in the women’s 49kg weight category and completed a series of lifts that saw her hoist 93kg above her head to take the lead at the halfway mark.

It was a tense two hours at the on Wednesday South Paris Arena , as athletes faltered and triumphed in successive lifts with Cambei at first untouchable although her rivals sensed an opportunity in the clean-and-jerk when she entered the competition at a lower weight than the other medal favorites.

The Romanian lifter entered the clean-and-jerk at 106kg, while Thailand’s Surodchana Khambao entered the competition at 110kg, along with the eventual gold medalist Hou Zhihui of China.

But Cambei’s decision to start with lower weights gave her an advantage as she lifted 112kg in the clean-and-jerk and posted a final total of 205kg. It was a tough act to follow  for her rivals, who began to falter after successfully lifting their entry weights

This meant only China’s Hou  could challenge Cambei for the gold medal.  And she did.

She defended her Olympic title in dramatic fashion and set an Olympic record in the clean-and-jerk to secure the gold medal.

It was a sensational victory that won her rousing applause from the spectators and congratulations from her coaches. Hou lifted her arms in triumph, celebrating her win and journey.

“Before my final lift, I thought about my family, my team here and my country all backing me up,” said Hou. “That’s what motivated me to make it happen on the final lift. I was really relieved after the final lift that broke the Olympic record.”

She gambled everything by upping the weight to 117kg for her second of three attempts in the clean-and-jerk. She failed, leaving her one more try to lift 117kg. Had she failed, the  gold medal would have been Cambei’s.