BEIJING — Seventeen-year-old Long Qingquan won China's second weightlifting gold on Sunday, stunning his opponents in the men's 56-kg category with lifts totaling 292 kgs (643.7 pounds) in his international debut.

Hoang Anh Tuan of Vietnam finished second just 2 kgs (4.4 pounds) behind, with Indonesia's Eko Irawan grabbing the bronze. Irawan, who is 19, admitted he was surprised that the baby-faced teenager would steal the show.

"I never heard of him before," he said. "The lesson I guess is never underestimate the power of competing at home."

The home crowd chanted and waved Chinese flags as Long lifted 132 kgs (291 pounds) in the snatch and 160 kgs (352.7 pounds) in the clean and jerk. He only failed one lift — his final clean and jerk at 164 kgs (361.6 pounds) when the gold was already in the bag.

Chen Xiexia won China's first gold medal in the Beijing Games when she dominated the women's 53-kg competition on Saturday.

Despite his young age, Long was the favorite in the 56 kg division after a strong performance at the Chinese team trials earlier this year. The big question was whether he would deal with the intense pressure the Chinese athletes face to bring medals to the host nation.

After the competition, Long admitted that he was nervous, but insisted he was also confident and the pressure of the moment never got to him.

"I'm not very well disciplined," Long told reporters. "I devote a lot of time to electronic games, so usually I'm not under a lot of pressure."

He took command of the competition right from the start, cruising through the snatch event with three solid lifts. He didn't look quite as powerful in the clean and jerk, only managing a tie with Hoang, who waved his fists in joy after making 160 kgs (352.7 pounds) in his final attempt to grab the silver.

Only the combined score counts for medals in Olympic weightlifting.

"I'm very happy that I lived up to expectations," Hoang said.

World champion Cha Kum Kol of North Korea only managed fifth place. He nearly bombed out in the snatch, but saved face by barely clearing 128 kgs (282.2 pounds) in his last attempt.

He failed his first clean and jerk, wobbling too much to get the white lights from the referees. He wobbled again in his second attempt, grimacing and grunting, but pulled it off. His legs almost folded as he walked off the stage.

They did fold, however, in his final lift, as Cha fell backward and pushed the bar in front of him, sending 160 kgs (352.7 pounds) crashing to the ground.

Notably absent was triple Olympic champion and world record holder Halil Mutlu. The Turk dropped out before the Olympics saying he wasn't reaching his desired results in training.

"It's a great pity that I didn't compete with Mutlu today," Long said with a smile. "He's my target. As a matter of fact I dream to surpass him."