BEIJING, Aug 8: A showdown between German super-heavyweight lifter Matthias Steiner and Latvian parliamentarian Viktors Scerbatihs is likely to provide one of the most thrilling spectacles of this year’s Olympics.

At the other end of the scale, the lightest female lifters are guaranteed extra attention since China’s Chen Xiexia could win her country’s first gold of the Games. The women’s 48kg-competition on Saturday morning is one of the earliest events in the Olympics and Chen is a favourite.

Chinese women are expected to grab a third of the 15 gold medals on offer in weightlifting.

“We dearly want to secure the four golds in the categories we are the most competitive,” state media quoted Chinese team leader Ma Wenguang as saying, referring to China’s four women — Chen Xiexia, Cao Lei in 75kg, Chunhong Liu in 69kg, and 58kg-lifter Chen Yanqing, who came out of retirement for the Games.

The heaviest category for women weighing over 75kg also promises to be a colourful contest. Korean Jang Mi-Ran is a likely candidate for gold, but fans should keep an eye on tattooed Samoan lifter Ele Opeloge, who along with other athletes from a smattering of tiny Pacific islands, has risen to the top league.

In the lighter categories, lifters such as Manuel Minginfel from the island of Yap, a mere speck on the world map, and Papua New Guinean Dika Toua, are just about the only medal hopes for their tiny nations.

They train together at a bare-bones institute set up by an Australian coach, and a place on the podium would prove that the newcomers have turned into an Olympic force to be reckoned with.

The men’s super-heavyweight event on Aug 19 could be set for some surprises after Hossein Rezazadeh, known as the ‘Iranian Hercules’, pulled out of the Olympics due to a knee injury.

What looked like a sure win for Rezazadeh, the strongest man in the world, has turned into a platform for Steiner and Scerbatihs.—Reuters