Chinese weightlifters look for Beijing repeat

Chinese weightlifters will bid to replicate their performance on home soil in Beijing at the London Olympics. China topped the medal table in 2008, claiming eight of the 15 golds on offer and one silver in an awesome display of lifting across the board. Some 260 athletes, 156 men and 104 women, will once again compete for the 15 medals at the ExCel arena, in east London's docklands area. The two competition lifts in order are the snatch, and the clean and jerk, with each lifter entitled to three attempts in each. The combined total of the highest two successful lifts determines the overall result within a bodyweight category. The men compete in the -56, 62, 69, 77, 85, 94, 105 and +105kg categories and the women at -48, 53, 58, 63, 69, 75 and +75kg. There is a quota of 10 lifters per National Olympic Committee, six men and four women, with a maximum of two per event. Men's weightlifting featured at the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, with women's weightlifting introduced at the Sydney Games in 2000. Chinese women's team took four gold medals at the Beijing Olympics in 48kg, 58kg, 69kg and 75kg categories, but Chinese Weightlifting Association president Ma Wenguang has attempted to lower expectations for the London Games. Two lifters surpassed three worlds records at China's National Women's Weightlifting Championships. Tian Yuan, world champion last year in Paris, stole the spotlight in the 48kg category, the 19-year-old jerking 126kg to finish with a total of 221kg, bettering both the world records in jerk by 5kg and the total by 4kg. In the 53kg category, world bronze medallist Ji Jing snatched a world record 104kg in the snatch, 1kg more than the previous best set by injured teammate Li Ping. World silver medallist Li Xueying also impressed in the 58kg category, lifting a total of 250kg, just 1kg off compatriot Chen Yanqing's world record set in 2006. But Association president Ma warned: "I'm very happy to see these good results but it's too early to say we are fully confident to claim gold medals in these categories. "We do have advantage in the light categories such as 48kg and 53kg, but there are not enough top lifters in each categories. If we have two or three in every division, I will be more satisfied." The women's super-heavyweight category saw the absence of South Korea's reigning Olympic champion Jang Mi-Ran in the worlds after she struggled to battle injury and regain form. While sidelined, younger lifters have stepped up and set world records in her +75kg division, Russian Tatiana Kashirina in the snatch (148kg) and China's world champion Zhou Lulu in the total (328kg). "Obviously, I don't have fond memories of 2011," said Jang, one of the most decorated female weight lifters in history having also won four world titles and the Asian Games. "But I think I can accomplish my dream if I can stick to the programme." Chinese men's weightlifting coach Chen Wenbin said he was happy with the controversial selection policy that has seen just one of the four male gold medallists from Beijing return to the London Olympics. Only Lu Yong made the cut from the quartet that topped podiums on home soil four years ago. "It's not a big problem because we have lifters like Wu Jingbiao and Zhang Jie who competed at the 2011 Asian Games and did very well," said Chen. "Our lifters have experience of big competitions, all this is familiar to them."