The Greenwich-born athlete, 17, lifted 92kg in the snatch and 116kg in the clean and jerk to register a superb total of 208kg, well above the 196kg minimum required.

It was enough to earn Smith fourth place in the women's 58kg category - just outside the medal places and only seven kilograms behind the overall winner.

Her total eclipsed the 204kg she registered at November's World Weightlifting Championships in Paris, where she set two personal bests and broke more than a dozen British records.

Amazingly, Smith was competing in the heavier 63kg weight category back then and duly finished outside the top 10, but she has since focused on slimming down ahead of the Olympic Games in an attempt to boost her medal chances.

Helen Jewell, competing in the same category on Wednesday, failed to record an overall total and was therefore not placed in the final standings.

Team unveiled

Jewell did not manage a successful lift in the snatch and produced only one clean attempt in the clean and jerk at 90kg.

The Championships, being held in Antalya until Sunday, provide athletes with one of the final chances to hit the Olympic qualifying standards for their weight category and strengthen their claims for a place among Team GB in London.

A maximum of three men and two women can be selected for the Games but they will only be considered if they hit the specified A standard twice or B standard once, with athletes hitting the A standard given preference.

Jo Calvino reached the Olympic qualifying B standard on the first day of the Championships in Turkey on Monday when competing in the women's 48kg category.

The 12-strong squad of British competitors are spread over eight weight categories across this week.

Elsewhere, the British Paralympic Association have announced the Powerlifting team who will be representing Great Britain at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London this summer.

World record holder Anthony Peddle, selected for his seventh Paralympic Games, will compete alongside Natalie Blake, Paul Efayena, Jason Irving, Ali Jawad and Zoe Newson.