He was trailing Canada’s Boady Santavy by 13kg with two attempts remaining in the clean and jerk but incredibly managed to lift 216kg to claim victory with a total of 370kg.

It smashed the previous Commonwealth record, set by Australia’s Alexan Karapetyan in November 2001, by 6kg.

Victory for Kari also secured Papua New Guinea a first gold medal of Gold Coast 2018. 

Santavy had to settle for the silver medal with a total of 369kg.

The 20-year-old managed 168kg in the snatch, breaking Karapetyan’s Commonwealth Games record of 167kg set at Manchester 2002.

He then finished on 201kg in the clean and jerk after failing with his last attempt at 206kg.

Santavy is currently facing criminal charges related to a hit and run back home but Commonwealth Games Canada President Rick Powers said he was eligible to compete because he has not been convicted of a crime.

According to a news release from Sarnia police dated March 19, Santavy was charged with failing to remain at the scene of collision after turning himself in.

He was released on a promise to appear in court, The Canadian Press reports.

Completing the men’s 94kg podium was India’s Vikas Thakur, who finished with a total of 351kg.

He managed 159kg in the snatch and 192kg in the clean and jerk.

Samoa’s Siaosi Leuo ranked third in the snatch with 156kg but bombed out in the clean and jerk after failing with all three of his attempts at 200kg.

India’s Punam Yadav lived up to her pre-event billing to claim the women's 69kg gold medal today, but was pushed all the way by England’s Sarah Davies.

Yadav triumphed with a total of 222kg after registering 100kg in the snatch and 122kg in the clean and jerk.

Her victory means India have now won five gold medals in the sport so far.

Davies had the opportunity to claim victory with the last lift of the competition but was unable to manage 128kg and finished in the silver medal position with a total of 217kg.

She got the bar over her head but the 25-year-old could not straighten her legs under the weight.

Davies posted 95kg in the snatch and 122kg in the clean and jerk.

Fiji’s Apolonia Vaivai, the women’s 75kg bronze medallist at Glasgow 2014, failed with her last clean and jerk attempt at 122kg and had to settle for third place with a total of 216kg.

It secured her country’s first medal of Gold Coast 2018.

"I was expecting there would be a fight for gold, especially from Fiji, though she did not give me the fight I expected," Yadav said.

"The English girl gave me a good fight."

Yadav and Vaivai were equal on 100kg after the snatch round with four lifters just five kilograms behind - Australia’s Pip Malone, Canada’s Andreanne Messier, New Zealand’s Andrea Hams and Davies.

Messier ended up in fourth place and Malone and Hams occupied fifth and sixth spots respectively.

The last competition of the day saw England's Emily Godley record six good lifts out of six to claim the women's 75kg title.

The 28-year-old managed 96kg in the snatch and 126kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 222kg.

Pre-event favourite Marie-Eve Beauchemin-Nadeau of Canada finished a close second with a total of 221kg.

Having registered 95kg in the snatch, the defending champion went onto post 126kg in the clean and jerk.

Her final lift put her into the lead, but Godley held her nerve to match it and secure the gold medal.

Rounding out the podium was Wales' Laura Hughes with a total of 207kg. 

Weightlifting action at Gold Coast 2018 is due to conclude tomorrow with a further four events; the men's 105kg and over 105kg, and women's 90kg and over 90kg.