Peng, 21, had lifted more than the 76 kilograms snatch world record in training when she was only 19 and arrived in Bahrain as one of the favourites for gold despite the fact that this was her first international competition.

The other six lifters had finished and nobody had bettered 98kg when Peng came out for her first attempt.

She started well enough on 115kg and two 5kg jumps from there would have been enough to displace North Korea's Rim Jong Sim in the records books, but she failed twice at 120kg.

Peng was less spectacular in the clean and jerk, in which she started low at 116kg to make sure of victory.

She finished on 115-128-243, slightly lower than her total at the last national championships.

Peng sang her national anthem with vigour at the medal ceremony after making China's final tally six golds and two silvers from a team of eight - they do not have any entries in the remaining seven medal events.

There was a good contest for second place between Duangkamon Khongthong of Thailand and Aray Nurlybekova of Kazakhstan.

Khongthong, the Asian junior champion, failed with her final attempt and finished third on 221kg, the same total as Nurlybekova, who was making her debut appearance.

While Peng was a very clear winner, the men's 89kg was ultra-competitive, with five or six contenders at various points of the contest.

After the first of nine athletes had made his opening lift, the scoreboard showed five lifters posting 160kg for their first attempt in the snatch, and six on 190kg for their clean and jerk opener.

Of course the numbers changed as the competition progressed but it showed just how tight a contest it was going to be.

Assylzhan Bektay was the only one of the nine athletes to make all six lifts and that gave him a deserved victory on 165-197-362, providing Kazakhstan with its second title of the week.

This was the first senior appearance by the 22-year-old, who won world and continental youth bronze medals in 2017 when he was last seen in international competition.

Emil Moldodosov, also 22, won the snatch and posted a career-best 166-195-361 to take silver for Kyrgyzstan, making it five from six.

If Massoud Chatraei had made his final attempt it would have been an even closer finish at the top, but he failed and finished third on total with 162-196-358.

Chatraei’s team-mate Mohammad Zarei, only 1kg behind after the snatch, appeared to injure his thigh on his second clean and jerk attempt and failed to make a total.