By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
Athens Olympic silver medallist Jang Mi-ran is eyeing a Beijing Olympic gold medal as her nemesis Mu Shuangshuang of China failed to make her team's quota for the Games.
The Korea Weightlifting Federation (KWF) said Wednesday that China had reported its roster to the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) and Mu, who was expected to race for the gold with Jang in the over-75 kilogram division, did not make its squad.
Each country can send four women's weightlifters to the Olympics, and China has selected its representatives in the 48-, 58-, 69- and 75-kilogram classes, which are less competitive.
Jang, 25, and Mu, 23, who shared the No. 1 spot in last year's world rankings with lifts of 319 kilograms, have competed shoulder-to-shoulder, but the South Korean won the world championship each of the past three years.
Although China said the roster is subject to change, the KWF believes that the chance is very slim.
Should Mu not participate in the Olympics, third-ranked Olha Korobka of Ukraine will likely become Jang's toughest opponent, but her career high of 293 is 26 kilograms lighter than Jang's, making the Korean the favorite to capture her first Olympic gold medal.
In addition, Jang became motivated for the world top spot after lifting an unofficial world record of 330 _ 140 in the snatch and 190 in the clean and jerk ― during a practice last Friday at the Korea Training Center at Taenueng.
``We came to grip with a fact that Mu will not compete, but Jang will keep training on the assumption that she faces Mu in Beijing until the final roster comes up on Aug. 7,'' KWF Director An Hyo-jak said.