HANGZHOU – The son of ailing farmers, Chinese weightlifter Chen Lijun has come a long way to becoming an Olympic and world champion, as well as a world record holder.
On Sunday night, his road to his first Asian Games gold medal was also fraught with challenges.
In the 67kg final, he failed in his first snatch attempt and the second try of the clean and jerk segment.
The Hunan native did manage to complete a 150kg snatch and 180kg clean and jerk to win gold with a 330kg total, but had left the door open for North Korea’s Ri Won Ju, who failed in his 190kg clean and jerk attempt and settled for silver with a 321kg total (141kg + 180kg).
South Korea’s Lee Sang-yeon was third with a 317kg total (137kg +180kg).
Chen said: “I’m very honoured and happy to be able to achieve this on National Day, and this is the perfect end to my season.
“It wasn’t as straightforward as my world championship win three weeks ago. Perhaps there was some fatigue and pressure competing at home, and I was tense.
“If I failed in my last lift, I would have lost the gold. I thought I couldn’t disappoint my family and countrymen on home soil, and so I pulled through with sheer will with my last lift.”
China’s national weightlifting coach Yu Jie added: “It’s not easy for a 30-year-old to compete in back-to-back top-level events and win, but he managed to adapt.
“This speaks volumes about his talent, quality, upbringing and mentality. There were imperfections, but he still managed to navigate through them and deliver victory.”
In a packed Xiaoshan Sports Centre Gymnasium, about 1,900 fans cheered athletes of all nationalities, but reserved the loudest for Chen.
Lifters had one minute to complete each lift, and many were soon reminded of the sport’s cruel nature by two huge red Chinese characters “shi bai”, which mean failure, on the big screen.
For instance, Indonesia’s only Asian Games champion Eko Irawan, who was second after the snatch segment, failed in all three clean and jerk attempts and missed out on a fourth Asiad medal.
Uzbekistan’s Doston Yokubov was also helpless as Lee overtook him by one kilo on his last try.
There is a saying that the most powerful athletes in Olympic sport often come from the most powerless backgrounds, and Chen most definitely fits the bill.
His burly father was known in Anhua county as the local Hercules but was later beset with diabetes and a brain tumour, while his mother was also frail.
When Yiyang Children’s Sports School coach Jiang Yilong scouted the 10-year-old Chen, he was already working in the fields. While he was barely 1.3m, he could do 50 push-ups at a go.
Despite parental objection as they could not afford the school fees, Jiang said: “As long as I’m around, he will not starve. If he fails, you can sue me.”
True enough, a decade later, Chen was world champion for the first time. Stipends, prize money and bonuses ensued, and debts were paid.
While he won five world titles, Olympic and Asiad gold eluded him. He missed the top prize at Incheon 2014 by just one kilo, while he withdrew at Rio 2016 after leg cramps during the snatch event.
At the Tokyo Games, he was trailing Colombian leader Luis Javier Mosquera by 11kg, but displayed remarkable strength and spirit. He increased the clean and jerk weights by 12kg to lift an Olympic record of 187kg. It helped him win gold by a kilo with a combined 332kg, another Games mark.
But he is not done yet.
“I’ve achieved everything in my career, but I still want to win at the Paris 2024 Olympics, so I’ll continue working hard,” he said.
“Also, I hope my story will inspire future generations of weightlifters, that champions can be born regardless of background.”
