Taiwan’s Lin Tzu-chi broke two world records to snatch gold from China’s Deng Wei in the women’s 63kg at the Asian Games. In another extraordinary afternoon at the Incheon Moonlight Gardens weightlifting arena, four world records were erased as Lin and Deng fought out a titanic battle.

Lin took the lead with a clean and jerk lift of 143kg for a 259kg aggregate which smashed the old world record of 257kg set back in 2007. Deng then strode out and hoisted a world record 144kg clean and jerk, to equal Lin’s total and go into gold medal position by virtue of lower bodyweight.

Lin, with one lift remaining, somehow hauled 145kg above her head to condemn Deng to silver and set more world records for both the clean and jerk and the combined (261kg) in the process.

“Next championship I will be stronger and do even better,” Lin said, looking ahead to November’s world championships in Kazakhstan. “Actually, I knew I could make this weight because I had achieved it in training,” Lin added.

Lin, the 2013 Asian champion at 58kg, had started the competition as favourite along with Deng, a world champion at 58kg last year, despite both being something of an unknown quantity at 63kg after stepping up in weight.

“First, congratulations to Lin for winning gold,” Deng said. “I did well, but it wasn’t my full potential. I wasn’t capable of beating her today. I will be striving to reverse the result in the next championship.”

North Korea’s Jo Pok-Hyang was expected to challenge the top two but in her first snatch attempt she dropped the bar weighing 107kg dangerously on to her back, bringing gasps from the stunned audience. It looked a terrible blow, but she showed amazing grit to emerge again and lift it on her second attempt but it was clear she was not 100 percent.

Despite bravely lifting going on to lift 140kg in the second discipline, Jo never threatened the leaders and took the final podium position on a distant 247kg.