South Korea’s Won Jeongsik claimed the men’s 69 kilograms overall title on day four of the 2017 International Weightlifting Federation World Championships ©IWF

South Korea’s Won Jeongsik claimed the men’s 69 kilograms overall title on day four of the 2017 International Weightlifting Federation World Championships as home favourite Clarence Cummings Jr bombed out in the clean and jerk.

Won came out on top in the snatch with 148kg before finishing second in the clean and jerk with 178kg.

It gave him an unrivalled total of 326kg with Thailand’s Tairat Bunsuk his closest challenger on 321kg.

Bunsuk came second in the snatch with 147kg and sixth in the clean and jerk with 174kg.

Rounding out the overall podium was France’s Bernardin Ledoux Kingue Matam with 318kg.

He finished sixth in the snatch with 141kg and third in the clean and jerk with 177kg.

Uzbekistan’s Doston Yoqubov won the clean and jerk with 179kg.

The snatch bronze medal went the way of Italy's Mirko Zanni with 144kg. 

Cummings Jr's three failed clean and jerk lifts put a real dampener on proceedings, however, with many having expected the 17-year-old, a four-times world champion at youth and junior level, to become the first American male in 20 years to reach an IWF World Championships podium.

He performed impressively in the snatch, registering lifts of 136kg, 139kg and 141kg, an American record, to finish ninth.

But in the clean and jerk, Cummings Jr fell short at 177kg on his first attempt and 178kg on his second and third.

The Americans have not had a male on a World Championships podium since Wes Barnett finished third in the now defunct 108kg class in 1997.

Romania's Loredana-Elena Toma dominated the women's 63kg event ©IWF
Romania's Loredana-Elena Toma dominated the women's 63kg event ©IWF

In the women’s 63kg event, European champion Loredana-Elena Toma of Romania dominated throughout to take all three gold medals.

Toma made six good lifts on her way to posting 109kg in the snatch and 128kg in the clean and jerk for an unrivalled total of 237kg.

Colombia’s Lina Marcela Rivas Ordonez was the overall silver medallist after finishing third in the snatch with 101kg and the clean and jerk with 124kg.

Compatriot Mercedes Isabel Perez Tigrero rounded out the overall podium with 225kg having come fourth in the snatch with 101kg and the clean and jerk with 124kg.

The runner-up in the snatch was Canada’s Maude Charron, who registered 102kg in yesterday’s B group competition.

Taking the clean and jerk silver medal was Thailand’s Rattanawan Wamalun with 127kg.

Action in Anaheim is due to continue tomorrow.