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China Seeks No Less than Three Golds in Women's Weightlifting
China's women lifters are trying to win at least three gold medals at the Sydney Olympic weightlifting tournaments which start on Saturday.
China, women's weightlifting powerhouse, is sending four girls to the Olympics and has confidence to grab at least three out of four gold medals, headcoach Zhang Wenxi told Xinhua.
"We may bag all four golds but we don't want to say that way because anything is possible." Zhang said.
The Chinese women's lifters will vie for gold medals in the 53-kg category with Yang Xia, 63-kg through Chen Xiaomin, 69-kg with Lin Weining and over-70-kg class with Ding Weiyuan.
Chen Xiaomin could become the easiest gold medalist for China after Chen Rui-lien of Chinese Taipei, who won world title in the event from 1996-99, was tested positive in March for Metandiemone, an anabolic steroid. Chen was banned from the Olympics last week.
Chen Xiaomin was former world record holder when she lifted 107.5 kilograms in the 64-kg category snatch for a new mark in Asian Championships in 1997. With Chen Rui-Lien suspended, she has no other strong challengers in the category.
For Yang Xia, it would be much difficult to win the gold medal. The 23-year-old has to overcome the challenge from Li Fengying of Chinese Taipei. Li won the world champion and set the world mark of 121.5 kilograms in the clean and jerk last year.
Ding Meiyuan, winner of last year's world championships in Athens with a total of 285 kilograms, will also has to perform well when she meets Poland's Agata Wrobel.
Wrobel twice smashed the world jerk record in the over-75-kg and set a new mark of 160 kgs at the European championships in Sofia on April 28. Her total results of 293 kgs also surpassed Ding's 285 kgs in the world championships last year.
"So we have to be cautious and don't say we can win this gold although Ding lifted many times more than 293 kgs in the practices," Zhang said.
Zhang rated Yang Xia's performance crucial to realize China's medal goal. "Because she compete as an opener. You known there is a saying that 'good begin half way'," Zhang added.
Lin Weining, as same as Chen Xiaomin, will miss her arch-rival Wu Mei-yi of Chinese Taipei and could hand the gold in the 75-kg to China if she beats Kim-Soon-hee from South Korea.
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