The young Indonesian did not win on total but he took clean and jerk gold in finishing second behind Oscar Reyes at 81 kilograms, the first European winner here in Riyadh after 10 events.

European champion Reyes, originally from Cuba, missed his first two clean and jerks but made the last one at 193kg to become his country’s first champion since Norberto Oberburger at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, which doubled up as the World Championships at the time.

"I stayed calm, I knew it was for the gold medal and I was confident I could make it because I have made 200kg in training," Reyes said.

Reyes, 26, made 163-193-356 ahead of Erwin, who declined two of his snatches, on 145-209-354. Mukhammadkodir Toshtemirov from Uzbekistan was third on 164-188-352.

Rafik Harutyunyan from Armenia took snatch bronze on 162kg and Gaygysyz Torayev from Turkmenistan was clean and jerk bronze medallist on 193kg.

Last December in Bogotá in Colombia, Erwin set the 73kg clean and jerk world record at 200kg and won gold on total from the B Group.

The effort, at high altitude, was so exhausting that Erwin was flat out on his back for six minutes before he recovered.

In Riyadh today he looked as if he could have gone out and done it again after claiming the world record from Karlos Nasar with a final clean and jerk of 209kg.

Erwin, 22, was not going for gold on total this time, just the world record and clean and jerk gold. 

With the Asian Games weightlifting starting in Hangzhou in China on September 30, where he will drop back to 73kg and make a rare start in an A Group, Erwin did not want to overexert himself.

He completed his first snatch at 145kg and declined the next two. Why?

"It was just a warm-up for the clean and jerk," he said, laughing.

Erwin has now won an Olympic bronze medal, three World Championships golds, and set two world records from B Groups.

"I prefer B because the timing is better for me, it feels more like a training session than a competition," he said.

"But maybe I will go for A in the Asian Games."

China’s Olympic champion Shi Zhiyong, who has not yet posted a total in Olympic qualifying while he waits for full fitness, is not expected to lift in Hangzhou so Erwin will be favourite for another big win.