TAI'AN, East China - Chinese star lifter Shi Zhiyong, Athens Olympic champion in men's 62kg, took his first gold medal in 2007 here in Asian championships, but the title didn't bring him any happiness.

China's Shi Zhiyong competes during men's 62kg weightlifting at the 2007 Asian Championships in Tai'an of East China's Shangdong Province April 23, 2007. [Xinhua]

Shi, who didn't win any gold in last year's international competitions after injuring his waist in summer, lifted 152kg in the snatch and 175kg in the jerk for a total of 327kg on Monday to claim the men's 69kg title, 27kg more than the silver medalist. However, compared with his record 335kg made in 2006 Asian Games, the 327kg upset him a lot.

"I performed very badly", said Shi after the competition, "the gold medal is nothing and I feel guilty."

Shi won the Athens Olympic title with a world record of 325kg in total. After that, he changed to 69kg category.

"After I was injured in my waist, I did less practice." Shi said, "I can lift a total 340kg in training and I'm not tough today. I didn't have harsh rivals in the competition, and the gold medal is all about luck."

Shi can lift 155kg in the snatch and 185kg in the jerk during the training, and his coach hoped that he could lift 345kg to 346kg in total in the competition.

However, Shi's performance upset not only himself but also the coach.Chen Wenbin, coach of the Chinese men's weightlifting team, said in anger,"The gold medal is not shining. To win the Olympics gold medal, he should at least lift 350kg in total."

"We must make sure the 69kg gold medal is in our pocket in 2008," Chen added.

Shi has not shined since his category changed. He failed in the world university championship in France and in the National Games in Jiangsu Province respectively. In the Doha Asian games, he lost to his teammate Zhang Guozheng to finish second though the difference was only one kilogram.

Zhang, the 69kg king in the Athens Games, didn't compete in the Asian Weightlifting Championships because of injury.

"Zhang is one of the best players in 69kg category with plenty of international competition experiences. I don't have a lot of chances to compete with him, and this time I also missed the chance."

"I will try hard to overtake Zhang", said Shi, "And I have confidence in 2008 Olympic Games. I can do better in the future.

I will not give up. The support of Chinese people is my impetus, and I want to perform really well at home in Beijing." Shi added