LONDON (Reuters) - China's Wang Mingjuan extended a 10-year unbeaten international record to win gold in the first women's weightlifting event of the London Games, giving the Chinese team a perfect start in their defense of four Olympic titles won in Beijing.

Wang eased to victory in the 48-kilogram weight division, lifting a combined total of 205kgs to the delight of the strong Chinese contingent in the 6,000-seat ExCel arena.

Lifting the heaviest weight in both styles of lift - the explosive one-phase snatch and the two-stage clean and jerk - Wang posted a total of 8kg more than silver-medal winner Hiromi Miyake from Japan.

Ryang Chun Hwa of North Korea took the bronze with a total of 192kg, edging out 17-year-old Sirivimon Pramongkhol of Thailand.

(Reporting by William James, editing by Ed Osmond)