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Olympic Outlook: Chinese Women Weightlifting No Longer "Dream Team"
The Chinese women weightlifting team has always been regarded as a "dream team" in the Olympic Games. Many people felt that it didn't matter who the Chinese sent to the Olympics, they would win the gold. It seemed as if the term "backs against the wall" never applied to the Chinese women weightlifting team.
But after listening to Wei Di, director of the Athletics Center at the National Sports Bureau, analyze China's opponents carefully, you will understand why the Chinese cannot be optimistic this year.
Wei Di supervised the athletes almost every day recently. When he was interviewed, he said, in the past two years, the Chinese women weightlifting team was a "dream team." It could send any six weightlifters and they would come back with a gold. But this is no longer true as evidenced bythe World Weightlifting Championship last year.
He said, women's weightlifting has improved too fast in the past two years after it formally became an Olympic event. Last year, we had an advantage in two levels last year, but that advantage no longer exists now. We have at least one worthy adversary at each weight class.
In the forty-eight kilogram weight class, Li Zhuo and Liu Xiuhua are the choices for the Chinese team. Both of their best record is about 195 kilograms. Bulgaria also has a woman weightlifter who can lift about the same. No matter who China sends to the Olympics, she can't cut any corners or else she won't win.
In the fifty-three kilogram weight class, Li Fengying, originally from Hunan province and now with China Taipei, has had won the national championship and world championship. Li Fengying is just as strong as Chinese weightlifters Yang Xia and Wang Xiufen, but she has more experience.
At the fifty-eight kilograms weight class, DPRK's "national treasure" has been perfect recently. In this year's Asia cup, she made only one clean snatch and jerk but won the championship. According to the conservative estimate, she can lift at least 240 kilograms while China's Chen Yanqing and Song Zhijuan's best are 235 kilograms.
At the sixty-three kilograms weight class, Chen Ruilian from China Taipei lifted 240 kilograms in the World Weightlifting Championship last year, something that no Chinese weightlifter has ever done in international competition. But, recent reports say that Chen Ruilian will not compete in the Olympic Games because she has been suspected of taking stimulants. This gives the Chinese team an advantage in this weight class.
In the fifty-eight kilograms weight class, the Chinese team originally had an advantage of about twenty kilograms. But Wu Meiyi, from China Taipei, topped her previous record of 230 kilograms and lifted 250 kilograms at the Olympic trials on Taiwan, dashing any advantage the Chinese may have held.
At the seventy-five kilograms weight class, the Chinese team also had a twenty kilogram advantage. But a player from ROK has improved amazingly quick and lifted 250 kilograms, only five kilograms lighter than the Chinese weightlifters.
At the fifty-eight kilograms weight class, a nineteen year old from Poland, has improved by more than ten kilograms every year and closed the gap with China's Ding Meiyuan. Her basic strength is on par with the Chinese weightlifters, but her technique isn't mature yet.
Wei Di says, because every team is only allowed to send four athletes to the Olympic Games, it really very difficult for Chinese team to select who to send. The Chinese team will confirm one athlete in all seven weight classes,then look at every aspect to see which four weight classes the Chinese can dominate. The final lineup will be decided in mid-August.
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