Chen confident with raft of new weightlifters
Source: AFP |
July 27, 2012, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINESE weightlifting coach Chen Wenbin said he is happy with the controversial selection policy that has seen just one of the four men's gold medallists from Beijing return to the London Olympics.
Chen, speaking after overseeing training on Wednesday, said that the selections mirrored his team's formidable strength in depth.
Only Lu Yong made the cut from the quartet that topped podiums on home soil four years ago, when China topped the medal table, claiming eight of the 15 golds on offer and one silver in an awesome display of lifting across the board.
"It's not a big problem because we have lifters like Wu Jingbiao and Zhang Jie who competed at the 2011 Asian Games and did very well," said Chen.
"Our lifters have experience of big competitions, all this is familiar to them."
Chen added: "We have to trust our athletes because they are strong enough to get used to a new environment."
Selection policies were not the utmost in the mind of Wu, the crowd-pleasing showman who added the Asian Games title in the men's -56kg weightlifting event to his world crown, in Guangzhou in 2010. Wu then lifted an Asian record of 133kg in the snatch and 152kg for an aggregate of 285kg as he outclassed a depleted field.
"We arrived yesterday and it took me until my third meal before I realized there was an Asian section in the village food hall," Wu said.
"I had two 'European' meals, but now I have finally had some dumplings."
The men compete in the -56, 62, 69, 77, 85, 94, 105 and +105kg categories and the women at -48, 53, 58, 63, 69, 75 and +75kg at the ExCel in east London's Docklands area.
Looking to poke a stick in the wheel of the Chinese juggernaut will be, among others, Sa Jaehyouk, the South Korean who claimed gold in the -77kg class in Beijing. Sa said the Korean team would look to previous medal history in the British capital, but warned that his own form had been affected by a string of injuries.
"I have had surgery on my shoulders, elbows, wrists, and knees. My most recent injury is my back. I have lots of pain in my back," Sa said.
"I have had to change my training because of this, to train with different weights. It is making me feel better. This has had a good result; I have improved from before. I feel better."
Chen, speaking after overseeing training on Wednesday, said that the selections mirrored his team's formidable strength in depth.
Only Lu Yong made the cut from the quartet that topped podiums on home soil four years ago, when China topped the medal table, claiming eight of the 15 golds on offer and one silver in an awesome display of lifting across the board.
"It's not a big problem because we have lifters like Wu Jingbiao and Zhang Jie who competed at the 2011 Asian Games and did very well," said Chen.
"Our lifters have experience of big competitions, all this is familiar to them."
Chen added: "We have to trust our athletes because they are strong enough to get used to a new environment."
Selection policies were not the utmost in the mind of Wu, the crowd-pleasing showman who added the Asian Games title in the men's -56kg weightlifting event to his world crown, in Guangzhou in 2010. Wu then lifted an Asian record of 133kg in the snatch and 152kg for an aggregate of 285kg as he outclassed a depleted field.
"We arrived yesterday and it took me until my third meal before I realized there was an Asian section in the village food hall," Wu said.
"I had two 'European' meals, but now I have finally had some dumplings."
The men compete in the -56, 62, 69, 77, 85, 94, 105 and +105kg categories and the women at -48, 53, 58, 63, 69, 75 and +75kg at the ExCel in east London's Docklands area.
Looking to poke a stick in the wheel of the Chinese juggernaut will be, among others, Sa Jaehyouk, the South Korean who claimed gold in the -77kg class in Beijing. Sa said the Korean team would look to previous medal history in the British capital, but warned that his own form had been affected by a string of injuries.
"I have had surgery on my shoulders, elbows, wrists, and knees. My most recent injury is my back. I have lots of pain in my back," Sa said.
"I have had to change my training because of this, to train with different weights. It is making me feel better. This has had a good result; I have improved from before. I feel better."
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
