Most charming Beijing Olympic story of the day

BEIJING -- This is not something I'd do for luck, but then I wouldn't go into weightlifting either.

Chanpim Kantatian from Thailand was a little worried that she might not make her country's Olympic team. So last year, she went to see a fortuneteller, who told her to change her name.

Headline writers in Bangkok might have suggested something like Madonna.

Kantatian chose: Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarakoon.

It seems to have worked. She won the gold medal Sunday in the 53-kilogram class.

''A fortuneteller told me if I changed my name, I would go far, so I changed it because I wanted to go to the Olympics,'' she told reporters. "Last time, I didn't make it.''

-- Randy Harvey

Photo: Thai weightlifter Prapawadee Jaroenrattanatarakoon, previously known as Chanpim Kantatian, celebrates victory in the women's 53 kg event. Credit: Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images