Kim Un-Ju burst into tears of joy on the podium after winning North Korea's fourth weightlifting gold of the Asian Games Thursday with a stunning 164kg clean and jerk world record in the women's 75kg.
China's Kang Yue took silver, just one 1kg behind Kim with a total of 291kg, after failing her final attempt at the same world record weight.
North Korea's Rim Jong-Sim, Olympic champion at 69kg, found her first international outing at the higher weight tough and took bronze, a long way behind on 271kg.
"Thanks to the people cheering for me," an emotional Kim said after. "I gathered strength. Even if it's just a little bit, I wanted to bring happiness to the people who supported me."
It was billed as a match between the two North Koreans and the Chinese world championship silver medallist but, as so often this week, quickly turned into a two-horse race between China's number one and the North Korean thoroughbred.
Kim's coach Choe Nong-Gyun said before the Games that Kim had reached the world record in training, and his words proved prophetic on another rip-roaring session at the Moonlight Festival Garden arena.
Kim achieved a daunting best of 128kg in the snatch as the cheers from her teammates, delegation and the ever-present South Korean Arirang Tongil (unification) Cheerleaders Group approached fever pitch.
Kang pushed the bar up to a Games record 131kg in response to Rim and failed, to gasps, but nailed it with her final lift to take a 3kg cushion into the clean and jerk.
It would be the first of many records to fall in an extraordinary duel.
Both Kim and Kang smashed the old Asian Games record for the clean and jerk of 157kg multiple times as they went lift-for-lift.
Kang posted 160kg with her second clean and jerk but Kim immediately hit back with 163kg, to put her in gold medal position as the lighter bodyweight lifter.
It sparked a huge ovation as yet another two new Asian Games marks and an Asian record fell in the process.
Kang was forced to go for a world record 164kg on her last attempt and when she broke down, the gold was Kim's.
Still, the North Korean had more left in the tank and hoisted 164kg to break the world record. Kim sparked frenzied celebrations as she ran off stage and into the arms of her coach.
Kang and her coach were clearly bewildered at the result, especially as the Chinese lifted a personal best 15kg more than in winning silver at the world championships last year.
"I never expected Kim's result," a stunned Kang said. "In fact, it's unbelievable."
It was a glorious end to North Korea's final event in the weightlifting -- they have no entries in the four weight categories still to be decided -- and Kim followed in the footsteps of her fellow gold medal winners earlier in the week by thanking one man.
"If (supreme leader) Kim Jong-Un says he is happy, whether I live or die, I would have won the gold medal," she said.
China top the weightlifting medals table, level on four golds with North Korea, but they have four silvers to North Korea's three. Both countries have two bronzes after 11 events.