China’s weightlifters were not at their peak at the East Asian Games
China's star weightlifters were not at their peak at the ongoing East Asian Games in Hong Kong, but tried their best, head coach of China's national team of men's weightlifting said Wednesday. Speaking on the sidelines of the 5th East Asian Games, ChenWenbin said the performance of the Chinese weightlifters, including at least five Olympic gold medalists and a number of world champions, was "so far as good as it can be". Most of the world champions, like Yang Lian, Long Qingquan, LuYong, took the gold medals at the East Asian Games, but young athletes including Tang Deshang and Li Xueying lost against lifters from South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "Li was so tired after taking part in the National Games in October and the World Weightlifting Championships in South Korea in late November," Chen said. Chen said the Chinese team was trying to go for what they could at the moment but will try to avoid any injuries. "The lifters could typically get injuries when they were tired," said Ma Wengguang, the Chinese team leader. Liao Hui, an Olympic gold medalist for the men's 69kg category, competed in the 77kg category on Wednesday to avoid frequently losing weight in a short period of time. Liao, however, managed to lift 196kg in clean and jerk, a load heavier than what he lifted at the National Games and the World Championships. Ma said the 2012 Olympics were by far the most important competition next for the Chinese team. Chen said that the results at the East Asian Games were farbelow those at the Olympic Games or the World Championships and that he saw no major rising threats. In comparison, the DPR Korean weightlifters prepared well and they were significantly strong, he added.
