China
China took it easy at Champs - coach
By Tang Yue (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-12-02 09:27
China's dominant weightlifting team has followed the national table tennis side's lead in an effort to create a "happy" atmosphere on the world stage.
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 Lu Yong of China competes in the men's 85kg Group A weightlifting snatch competition at the World Weightlifting Championship in Goyang, north of Seoul, November 26, 2009. Lu took the first place at the snatch category. [Agencies] |
The nation sent a second-tier squad to the World Championships in Goyang, South Korea, last week to open up the competition.
Like the table tennis team, which sent inexperienced mixed double pairs to boost the hopes of other countries at the Yokohama World Championships in May, the weightlifting team didn't have its 'heavyweights' at the Worlds.
Ma Wenguang, president of the Chinese Weightlifting Association, said: "It's natural that other countries may feel uncomfortable if China dominates the platform all the time.
"I think there is no need for Chinese fans to worry about our team. You could easily see our strength at the National Games."
To highlight that fact, seven women weightlifters broke 10 world records 26 times in Jinan in October. However, only a few of them were included in the team which went to Goyang.
While China still topped the medal table in South Korea with 18 gold, 11 silver and 10 bronze medals, the women lifters only won six gold and broke no world records. Kazakhstan won seven gold medals to top the table on the women's side.
One of China's few stars in the event, Liu Chunhong, the 69 kg gold medalist at the Athens Games in 2004 and Beijing last year, finished fifth with a total of 245kg, 41kg less than her world record.
"Liu Chunhong is suffering from a knee injury but, as a well-known athlete, her participation meant a lot to the World Championships, that's why she was there. The results didn't reflect her real strength," Ma said.
Despite China's seemingly casual attitude towards the Champs, the team also suffered at the hands of some poor officiating.
Fifteen minutes after Wang Mingjuan swept the three gold medals at 48 kg, she was told to do her last clean and jerk again within five minutes as the weight of the barbells had been "wrongly calculated".
She refused to lift again due to the risk of injury after an inadequate warm-up period.
"I have never seen that happen before," Ma said. "But it was not a big deal for our team. I even went to comfort the judges after the match and told our athletes to smile on the podium.
"We just wanted to create a harmonious atmosphere at the Worlds. We wanted more countries to share the joy of winning. It's good for the development of the sport worldwide."
Ma also said there was a strong possibility some foreign teams could come and train with the Chinese squad this winter.
However, those countries should not expect the same generosity when China turns up at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
"The Olympic gold will always remain our first task. Nothing can be compared to it," Ma said.
