Pawina Thongsuk gave Thailand another reason to cheer at the Athens Olympics when she gave the Asian nation their second gold medal, in the women’s weightlifting 75 kilos event with a world record performance.

The 2002 world champion Thongsuk lifted 122.5kg in the snatch and 150.0 in the clean and jerk for a total of 272.5kg.

Russian Natalia Zabolotnaia also had 272.5kg, but had to settle for silver because of a higher body weight, 74.09kg to Thongsuk’s 69.29kg.

The bronze medal went to Russia’s Valentina Popova, who lifted 265.5kg.

Thongsuk’s victory was the second gold for Thailand, who also have two bronze to rank 15th in the current medal tally.

All medals came in women’s weightlifting, with Udomporn Polsak getting the other gold in the 53kg event and Aree Wiratthaworn (48kg) and Wandee Kameaim (58kg) adding the two bronze.

“I am pleased with the medal I won. The competition was hard, but in the end I was successful,” said Thongsuk.

The Russian teen-ager Zabolotnaia tried her best to beat Thongsuk. She raised the snatch world record to 125.0kg, but failed to get 127.5kg in her final attempt and also failed to lift 147.5 in the clean and jerk.

Had she nailed one of the two attempts gold would have hers.

“I was sure I would win the silver medal although I really wanted to win the gold. I tried, but wasn’t successful,” said Zabolotnaia.

France’s Peschier Wins

Gold in Kayak

• Benoit Peschier was aggressive and precise while a British medal hopeful was timid when the French dominated the men’s slalom Olympic kayaking yesterday.

Peschier won the gold and world champion Fabien Lefevre the bronze with Briton Campbell Walsh splitting the pair after a timing error originally marked him as the bronze winner.

Fans and paddlers were scratching their heads as race officials had to sort through the major timing error.

Peschier could not have cared less about the glitch, as he beat his main rival on the French team as well as Walsh of Glasgow, Scotland, who had been the class act of the field through three runs down the ferocious white water course.

“I was able to be precise, down to the centimeter, going through the course,” Peschier said.

He said the strong performance in kayaking may take some of the sting out of France’s disappointing performance in the last football World Cup.