BEIJING, August 11, 2008 (AFP) - North Korean O Jong Ae threw a giant tantrum Monday after seeing her Olympic record -- as well as her gold medal bid -- vanish in a flash at the Beijing Games weightlifting competition.

The 58kg bronze medallist, ranked number three in the world, initially refused to attend the mandatory press conference for medallists after the awarding ceremony.

'I was very sad and disappointed with my score. That's why I did not want to attend this press conference,' a teary-eyed O said after she was coaxed to change her mind.

The 24-year-old set the Olympic clean and jerk record after two attempts with her final lift of 131kgs.

However, it was a case of too little too late, and her record lasted a mere minute, the amount of time Chinese defending Olympic champion Chen Yanqing needed to heave 132kg.

That record itself was demolished on the Chinese woman's final lift, a massive 138kg.

Chen, who holds the world records for the snatch and total lift, now also owns the Olympic lift total record of 244kg.

To add to O's misery, Russian lifter Marina Shainova pipped the North Korean for the silver despite an inferior clean and jerk effort of 129kg.

Shainova earlier hoisted 98kg in the snatch, where O managed only 95kg after failing to match the Russian's score in two attempts.

'I had expected to get better scores in these Olympic Games,' O said.

'I wanted to bring joy to the people of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, but I failed to do so. So I am very sad and sorry for them.'