WROCLAW, Poland, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese lifter Liao Hui came back in style as he broke men's 69-kilogram catagory world record with a total of 358 kilograms in the World Weightlifting Championships, eclipsing the former record by one kilogram.
The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games champion lifted 160kg in snatch and 198kg in clean and jerk to win the gold with a total of 358kg. The former world record was made by Bulgarian Galabin Boevski in November, 1999.
Liao, 26, who was suspended for two years for doping in September, 2010, resumed serious training in January and claimed that he would break world record in the world championships to prove his innocence.
"I never took peformance-enhancing substances, I had been wronged by the authorities who could not present convincing proofs," he said. "My aim for the world championships was to break the world record as well as win the gold, only this could prove my innocence."
"Everything for me is perfect tonight, for me this gold is even more precious than that I won in the Beijing Olympics," he said.
Oleg Chen of Russia won the silver with a total of 340kg, and the bronze went to Firidun Guliyev of Azerbaijan who finished in 337kg.