It rounds out a record-breaking performance by the sport’s powerhouse nation: the only one of their team of eight who did not win, Liao Qiuyun, finished second.

Emily Campbell took second place to become the first British woman ever to win a weightlifting medal – and the first Briton to stand on the podium since David Mercer won a bronze at the Los Angeles 1984 Games.

It was a magnificent performance by Campbell, who missed her second snatch attempt but came back strongly with four good lifts.

Campbell had never lifted for Britain before the 2018 IWF World Championships, the first qualifying event for Tokyo, since when she has improved her personal best by 35kg.

Her last lift of 161kg took her ahead of the American Sarah Robles, who finished third just as she had done at Rio 2016.

The 20-year-old Korean Lee Seon-Mi finished fourth and looks sure to challenge for senior medals in the future.

Such was her dominance, when Li returned to the platform for her final two lifts, she had already won.

Instead, she used them to set Olympic records and finished with a six-from-six 140-180-320.

Campbell had 122-161-283 and Robles 128-154-282.

Li, who had never competed outside China until two years ago, is utterly dominant in this weight class in the absence of the suspended Russian Tatiana Kashirina and, at 21, she is likely to be so for years to come.

Laurel Hubbard, the transgender athlete from New Zealand, failed to make a total after missing all her snatch attempts.

Robles' bronze medal, added to Kate Nye’s silver from the 76kg on Sunday, gave the US its best weightlifting medal tally in 21 years.

It is the first time the US has won medals in consecutive Olympic Games in 53 years - Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968.

Robles said, "It’s a really big deal. 

"I’ve struggled a lot throughout my career, it almost feels like I’ve been going uphill both ways with the wind against me... making history in this sport means a lot to me."

Robles' bronze medal is further evidence of a resurgence by the US in weightlifting.

"This past quad and even further back than that, we’ve had a complete overhaul of our leadership and policies," she said.

"The programmes that have been implemented for quality of lifting, mental health, funding for the athletes is all stuff that never existed before. 

"It’s for the better, we’ll continue to improve.

"The improvement has to come from the athletes, you invest in us and we’ll show you that your investment is worthwhile."