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China’s Weightlifting Dominance: Doping Tipoff?

August 13th, 2008 · 47 Comments · Beijing Olympics

I’ve been around the Olympic rings a few times now. I’ve seen Olympic powers come and go. I’ve seen athletes cheat and win (and later sometimes get caught).

And I’ve long since decided that the one Olympic sport most susceptible to cheating is weightlifting.

Hoisting massive amounts of iron has little to do with hand-eye coordination. It doesn’t require long years of refining skills.

It is about brute force and punishing training. Making it the sport in which using illegal drugs can yield the greatest results.

We might have suspicions about this or that athlete. Or this or that country’s willingness to be limited by rules.

To me, the flashing red light of “beware, cheating ahead!” is when one country dominates weightlifting.

The Chinese are doing that.

A woman named Liu Chunhong just won gold for China in weightlifting.

That gives China six of the eight weightlifting golds.

And consider this:

1. The two golds China didn’t win? It didn’t have an entrant in the category (women’s 53 kg, women’s 63 kg).

2. Three of China’s gold medalists won in blowouts. Its athletes lifted 22 pounds more than the runner-up in the men’s 69 kg competition; 31 pounds more than the runner-up in the men’s 62 kg competition; 37 pounds more than the runner-up in the women’s 58 kg. Not inconsiderable victory margins.

3. The sixth Chinese gold was a massive blowout. That would be this Liu woman, at 69 kg, who defeated the silver medalist from Russia by 68 pounds. Yes, by 68 pounds. It wasn’t a competition, it was an exhibition.

By the way, China’s six weighlifting golds account for more than one-third of its total of 17. (And about to become seven of 18, because the men’s 77kg competition is about to begin, and a Chinese guy is competing.)

When one country dominates weightlifting like that, we are left with two ways to look at this.

1. The dominant country has hit on some formula that no one else has figured out. A system of training, a way of identifying weightlifting talent. And that system, and that method, has produced weightlifters who are trashing the competition. Maybe that has happened. Maybe. May-be.

2.  The dominant country is cheating. And hasn’t yet been caught. And its competitors haven’t figured out how they’re doing it.

Choose for yourself.

If I ran China’s Olympic program, I’d mix in a weightlifting silver along the way. Because  that might make what’s going on look at least vaguely legitimate.

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47 responses so far ↓

  • 1 John D // Aug 13, 2008 at 8:22 AM

    I googled Chinese weightlifting doping and this site came up on the first page. After watching a small portion of the men’s and women’s competition I noticed that all of China’s athletes much more physically defined than some other countries. This is a result of outstanding training, yes, but it also leads me to believe that the physique gives away certain clues to some sort of artificial enhancement. It would not surprise me if China has developed some sort of supplement that is light years ahead of the International Doping list of banned substances.

    When one country dominates so much it raises eyebrows. Other countries are believing that with the US Swimming dominance as well. The difference is that US Swimmers have been very consistent in dominance over the last 16 years, whereas the Chinese weightlifters have risen only over the last 4-6 years.

  • 2 Gilles // Aug 13, 2008 at 10:44 AM

    I agree with the article. Too many gold medals for the same country always raises red flags (pardon the pun). But maybe they are just dedicated and train more effectively – cheaters ruined the sport. It also looks like people cheat and often don’t get caught.

  • 3 Joseph D'Hippolito // Aug 13, 2008 at 3:34 PM

    Paul, it wouldn’t surprise me if you’re right. I’m sure you’re aware of the age controversy surrounding China in women’s gymnastics. I’m sure you already know about the lip-synching substitute at the opening ceremonies. Those ceremonies, as beautiful and as dignified as they were, also seemed to bespeak of a nation that wants to succeed at all costs. Everything is just too neat and tidy, as it were. Of course, that’s always the case when a totalitarian regime wants to impress the outside world.

  • 4 Noel Prescott // Aug 13, 2008 at 10:10 PM

    Don’t single out China. Pak Hyon Suk of North Korea won gold also. She weighs 135 lbs and put 297 lbs over her head. I see this done by women routinely in my gym. 300 lbs is really not that much for a 135 lb woman to clean and jerk. The American girl, Natalie Woolfolk, was only 41.8 lbs behind Pak. I guess the Olympic Training Center coaches in Colorado Springs need to sharpen their needles, or pencils.

  • 5 Gilles // Aug 14, 2008 at 7:03 AM

    The Chinese are not the only ones cheating (Chinese women’s swimming team a few ago). Remember Ben Johnson (Canada) and Marion Jones (USA), just to name a few high profile cheaters.

  • 6 George Alfano // Aug 14, 2008 at 8:45 AM

    The Soviet Union dominated this sport before they disintegrated.

    I think when the Chinese were awarded the Olympics seven years ago, this was something they concentrated on. If there is an incentive, people are going to go into this sport. And yeah, this is a sport subject to cheating.
    A lot of the East Germans went to China after East Germany joined a united Germany, and there wasn’t going to be an emphasis on winning Olympic medals for the glory of the German Democratic Republic.

    The only reason you don’t see the United States involved more is that in the US, it is more lucrative to go into bodybuilding. And yeah, this is an activity subject to cheating. Don’t think the US is any more moral than China, they just don’t have access to the best steroid cheaters.

  • 7 Natalie Lyndon // Aug 15, 2008 at 7:45 PM

    I completely agree. The Chinese female weightlifters LOOK artificially enhanced. I’m surprised there isn’t more being said about it.

  • 8 Jay // Aug 17, 2008 at 2:42 AM

    No Need to wonder.. they ARE for sure cheating to no end… how many naturally muscular chinese do you know compared to other races? not many. also it just so happens that they now produce 90% of the worlds steroids .. C’mon.. this country lives to lie, and cheat as a way of life. doesnt matter if its business or sports !

  • 9 Steve // Aug 18, 2008 at 7:02 PM

    Cheat, cheat, cheat. The Chinamen wanted these games to show their country off to the world. Well, between their gymnasts and their powerlifters they’ve done just that. Now the whole world knows the Chinese a little better, don’t we. They’re a f__king bunch of no-good cheaters.

    I googled the same terms: Chinese weightlifting doping.

    I’m absolutely sure that none of the Chinese weightlifters would even be competitive without the drugs they’re on. Have you seen the average Chinese physique? They don’t have much of a gene pool to draw from.

    The thirteen-year-old gymnasts need to be forced to produce proof of their age. If documents surface showing them to be underage, China’s team gold and all medals won by the disqualified gymnasts need to be returned.

    If the doping substance is found that the Chinese weightlifters are on, every single medal won by a Chinese weightlifter should be stripped away.

    That goes for cheats from every country. But the Chinese are chronic cheats and I think the world has learnt its lesson: no more Olympic games in totalitarian countries led by cheating bastards.

    The moment the first journalist was roughed up the games should have been moved to a free country. They’ve broken left and right the promises they made to get the games.

    Screw the Chinese.

  • 10 rusty // Aug 19, 2008 at 6:29 AM

    There is no doubt that the Chinese have made an art form out of cheating. The Olympic games is surely the crowning glory of China’s cheating ways.

    In my modest opinion nothing will be done to the Chinese in regards to their cheating at the games. Though we can let China know just how we feel about it by a boycott of all their cheaply made products.

  • 11 Johnny // Aug 19, 2008 at 2:31 PM

    Respect is earned….not a show of gold metals.

  • 12 Neil // Aug 21, 2008 at 7:23 AM

    Since you stated that weight-lifting is just about brute strength and doesn’t take years to develop the skill, you clearly know nothing about the sport!

    It is very much a skill and one that takes years to perfect..

  • 13 Gilles // Aug 21, 2008 at 10:44 AM

    Give me a break. Lots of your great american athletes have been implicated in doping and some caught. As if the USA or other western countries are morally superior! The problem has more to do with the Olympics and the big money involved. Athletes and coaches cheat to advance their own fortunes. Countries (USA included) use the Olympics to advance their national prestige and egos.

  • 14 asian // Aug 23, 2008 at 12:44 AM

    you guys are very mad. i’m chinese and i go to the gym and i think i can outlift 99% of the people there. i’m not that serious of a bodybuilder but i work out often. chinese people are very extremely strong. i think alot of them just don’t know that. i was 120 lbs when i started lifting weights. i’m 150 now and was once up to165. i never knew i was a strong person but my strength is amazing. i’m extremely strong for my size.

  • 15 Jay // Aug 23, 2008 at 9:03 AM

    I’ve got to agree with Neil here, oly weightlifting is all about technique and not brute strength. It takes a lot of coordination to get that much mass above your head.

    That said, yeah, juice helps and the chinese women have got something real nice going on. Whatever it is it does not seem to “male” them up (beyond muscle) like the stuff available to us common people does.

    Anyone know what the hell they could be on?

    And do they sell it yet in Mexico?

  • 16 Derrick Jones // Aug 23, 2008 at 1:36 PM

    I’m not only suspicious of China for cheating, but also Jamaica. They were breaking world records left and right in the track events. IMO, if some are going to cheat, then all should be able to so that the field can be evened up…

  • 17 Monster // Aug 27, 2008 at 10:46 PM

    WHAT’S THAT MAGIC SUBSTANCE?! Most of the times I hear about an Ol lifter using banned substance it’s about Metandienone… That’s bullshit! There must be something else! Ok, I agree, training 12h/day, having an entire medical team checking you constantly, eating every 2.5h and so on makes a great difference between them and common people BUT for a woman to clean&jerk almost 190kg it just doesn’t make sense! That’s more than Paul Anderson could ever do, and the Mastodon could squat 500Kg for reps! How much does these ladies squat, 600kg or more?!

  • 18 Monster // Aug 27, 2008 at 10:53 PM

    I wonder if the next Olympics should not be done in North Korea, for example…. China, North Korea, Thailand, Iran, Irak, Sierra Leone, Congo, Somalia, Taliban-controled areas in Afghanistan, they also might be wise choices. Let’s find the most oppresive regimes on this bloody planet and start encouraging them this way or another!

  • 19 Gary // Aug 28, 2008 at 12:25 PM

    Wow, it is truly amazing that Mr. Oberjuerge claims sports journalism as his profession but doesn’t know anything weightlifting, or the sports history of the host country of 2008 Olympics.
    Chinese dominance in weightlifting (especially for the women) is as complete as their performances in table tennis and diving. In fact, China has decided NOT to enter women’s 53 kg and 63 kg because of the IWF has placed restrictions after the Chinese kept sweeping gold medals in both the Olympics and World Championship.

  • 20 Charles // Oct 3, 2008 at 12:10 PM

    The writer is very ignorant about the sport of Olympic Weightlifting. “Hoisting massive amounts of iron has little to do with hand-eye coordination. It doesn’t require long years of refining skills.” is a dead give away.

    The Chinese weightlifters have been training since they were toddlers. The ones who make it to the big stage are the ones who survived the grueling training. Each one of them were hand picked. A nation with the greatest population is sure to have a few who are sure to excel at a particular discipline. Their dominance in weightlifting is a result of a lifetime of hard work and dedication.

  • 21 mike // Dec 15, 2008 at 12:22 AM

    Theres too much ignorance going on here about the sport of olympic weightlifting, some guy called this powerlifting in the comments! It takes months just to learn how to hold the bar safely in olympic weightlifting, and years to perfect technique in the snatch and clean & jerk, not only do you have to work on technique, every lifter needs a general strength base which also takes years of training, these guys were picked from early early childhood, and this i mean picked out because of their genetics and build. Short people tend to do well in this sport as you have to be very fast to get under the bar. The writer is very biased and ignorant about this sport. This is actually the strength sport that requires massive technique to be competitive in that is why USAW lags behind. Americans generally prefer strength sports such as powerlifting where you do simple movements like the Bench Press, Squat, and Deadlift. There are also many racists in here finding it hard to believe that the chinese physique can be successful in this sport. Like i said, short people are chosen for this sport in any country. We like to believe that eastern european men are the best in olympic weightlifting maybe because of racial bias but in reality, the chinese physique is actually far more suited to olympic weightlifting. Requiring smarts for technique and a short stature for quickness under the bar. The european physique is more for strongman or powerlifting competition which requires far less technique and brute strength. In case you havent noticed Asians in general dominate the sport of olympic weightlifting, look at the Thai, Vietnamese, Singaporean, Korean, North Korean lifters in beijing, look at the silver and bronze medalist. As long as the weight classes were under 85kg, Asians dominated all the way.

  • 22 johna // Jan 7, 2009 at 6:28 PM

    … Or it could be that the Chinese scout and training lifters starting at age 8. They have many lifters that by the age of 20 are lifting twice what other teams do. Do they use drugs? Very likely. Is that why their winning? Of course not.

  • 23 Euan // Jan 10, 2009 at 7:56 AM

    I think this article was ridiculously biased, as for the responses, they were practically vitriolic! China has the largest weightlifting team in the world by far, as is not surprising for the most populous country in the world who openly state that they are targetting the sports with the highest medal potential (e.g. weightlifting with its various weight categories). There is of course a possibilty of doping, but this has to be taken with a pinch of salt as EVERY top level weightlifter takes some sort of enhancer! Going back to the size of the weightlifting contingent, the intense competition in a country with the promise of a gilded life should they win a gold (no pun intended) is going to produce incredible performances. Amusingly the 77 kg competition was won by a Korean, not a Li Hongli as you predicted…
    Perhaps if the US provided more funding, and made weightlifting a slightly more lucrative population, they would start winning medals, and then they wouldn’t have to be bitter :).

  • 24 Euan // Jan 10, 2009 at 7:58 AM

    sorry meant to say ‘proposition’ not population

  • 25 Bruce // Apr 2, 2009 at 8:00 PM

    There is no evidence of illegal drug use from the Chinese team. But there are a lot of evidence of crying and whining from American’s.

    Here are the facts: China has a fantastic weight lifting program. Other countries that cannot cut it in this sport, example: United States, don’t have a good weight lifting program because that is not what they focus on. They focus on swimming and track and field. One can say all the U.S Swimmers/Track and field athletes are using drugs because they dominate the events, but that would be an ignorant comment because there is no proof. It would be just as ignorant as saying the Chinese weight lifting team uses drugs.

    Truth is, the Chinese olympic team dominated the olympics and a lot of people don’t like it. Countries such as the United States cannot accept the fact that they are not the top performers any more. Only thing left to do is whine, cry and point fingers.

    Pathetic.

  • 26 derek // Apr 20, 2009 at 7:35 AM

    dominance in weightlifting has switched over the years but now it is time for americans to start winning gold again.

  • 27 Scott // Apr 29, 2009 at 5:58 AM

    I’m happy some people brought this back into perspective. The fact is that if your a young Ray Lewis or Brain Urlacher your going to play football from age 10 not Olympic Weight Lift. In china its the exact opposite, not to mention the fact that they have about 5 times the people to work with.

    Another thing that they do extremely well is develop their athletes from a young age, on which sport they are best built for.

    So combine these things and you get a bunch of golds.

    P.S. In the olympics I believe you are limited on the number of contestants you can have in a catagory, so that is why china didn’t sweep the games. Their critera for sending a person to the games isn’t if you are going to win a gold, its if you are going to break a world record.

  • 28 Max // Sep 11, 2009 at 4:53 AM

    This is a jealousy-filled bullshit article.
    Even if they were engaged in a lot of doping usage, it is not to any significantly bigger extent than that of other dominant countries.
    The Chinese are dominating because they have by far the best weightlifting programme.

    “Hoisting massive amounts of iron has little to do with hand-eye coordination. It doesn’t require long years of refining skills.”

    This statement especially shows that you know absolutely nothing about what you are speaking of.
    The snatch and the clean&jerk are highly complex movements which takes years to even be able to do correctly, not to mention perfect it.
    Think again before you write a long blog about something you have no knowledge of.

  • 29 Blake // Nov 9, 2009 at 7:02 PM

    This article comes across as hopelessly pathetic. Maybe the Chinese are doping, but I assure you they aren’t the only ones. I know a powerlifter here in the US, and he uses a designer roid that can’t currently be detected. He even bragged that it was the same drug used by the US Olympic Team. He gets them from a friend that works at Proviant, who he met while playing football at the University of Illinois.

    Also, consider this comment from the article: “A system of training, a way of identifying weightlifting talent.” China has a larger pool of talent than any country in the world. It only makes sense for them to dominate countries with drastically smaller talent pools. You also have to consider the Chinese work ethic. The Chinese take pride in being the hardest working people in the world, while Americans are wold-famous for being fat and lazy. Honestly, I’m surprised American athletes do as well as they do.

  • 30 Euan // Nov 24, 2009 at 9:57 AM

    Oh and I forgot to add, weightlifting doesn’t take years of refining skill? You obviously know NOTHING about the sport! It’s ALL technique!

  • 31 haiguike // Mar 31, 2010 at 1:46 PM

    This entire article reeks of xenophobia. The U.S. and Australia swimming team MUST BE ON ROIDS!!! They’re winning too much!!! What!? Jamaica beat the U.S. in track!? They’re on roids!!! Cheaters! Screw the Jamaicans and Australians!!!

    I’ve been training in Olympic lifts for 2 years as a hobby and my technique still sucks. Yeah, it sure is easy alright and it’s all strength and no technique! *rolls eyes* Gymnastics requires no skill either! It’s clear because the Chinese are totally dominating gymnastics ! It must be the drugs!

  • 32 Gary // Apr 1, 2010 at 12:24 PM

    No technique in weightlifting, huh? Do you know many competitive powerlifters or weightlifters? ‘Cause I do. In fact I compete successfully in the former because I don’t have the talent to do well in the latter. Do you know the difference between the two sports? Doesn’t seem like you do. Weightlifting does indeed require as much strength as powerlifting (and both sports require getting monstrously strong in the squat, though many would argue that high bar back squats and front squats become more important at higher levels of weightlifting), but weightlifting is “gymnastics with a barbell” as opposed to the much less technical powerlifts. The power/high catch versions of the snatch and clean are relatively simple to learn, but hoisting and successfully completing the lifts with maximum weight in the full squat version of either lift does take many months to learn, years to refine and a competitive lifetime to master. Anyone can improve their strength, but the natural agility and explosiveness required to be a competent weightlifter really cannot be improved. You’re born with a certain endowment. The combination of strength, agility, speed and explosion require to full squat clean more than double bodyweight just doesn’t occur that frequently. And the people with this combination are not going to look like bodybuilders (that bodybuilding physiques are conflated with athletic physiques is an indication of how clueless the average person is).

    China is one nation among hundreds and has 15% of the world’s population. Are you really surprised that they can find a couple dozen genetic freaks that they can be beat the rest of the world after being handpicked by their totalitarian regime at childhood and prepped their entire lives? This doesn’t mean that they aren’t “cheating” with banned substances, but the truth is that at that level, just about everyone is “cheating.” (Bulgaria, I’m looking right at you.)

  • 33 Mathias // Apr 19, 2010 at 3:52 AM

    well, China has more than one sixth of the worlds population, so maybe that has something to do with it? Why do small countries such as jamaica dominate sprinting? or norway dominate skiing? or Iceland dominate strongman? are they all cheaters too, because theyr populations are actually very small compared to china.

    I think the answer lies in the genetic makeup of the chinese, very short tendon insertions, short legs, long torso, short levers on the olympic lifts.

    Michael phelps does not do illegal drugs, and neither do the chinese. You just need to relax and admit that the USA is not always going to be king of the hill.

  • 34 Rose Eason // May 30, 2010 at 9:43 AM

    You’ve done it again! Incredible writing!

  • 35 GIMP // Jun 6, 2010 at 12:19 PM

    This is where you are completely off the mark.

    Hoisting massive amounts of iron has little to do with hand-eye coordination. It doesn’t require long years of refining skills.

    Much like sprinting, weightlifting is completely unforgiving of anything except exceptionally well honed mechanical execution. Every aspect of every lift must be perfect every time.

    Try it and you’ll see for yourself that while you can be sloppy in many sports and still achieve respectable results, in weightlifting the degree to which one can deviate from excellent form are extremely small. You simply cannot get the weight up or hold it up without excellent biomechanics.

    Chinese doping would be no surprise to me, however, I think dominance in endurance sports would be far more indicative of doping than weightlifting, which depends so much on proper biomechanics and perfect practice.

    Weightlifting movements are deceptively simple and few. Because of that, champions must hone them to a razor’s edge. The weights they use demand perfect biomechanics as they simply cannot be brute forced up.

  • 36 Short Levers // Jul 3, 2010 at 6:24 PM

    East Asians, including Chinese, usually have short limbs relative to their torso due to a past evolutionary pressure to conserve heat. This build lowers surface area to volume ratio, reducing the heat dissipating skin surface and retaining heat better. In the colder climates for which the East Asian physical type was evolved, this would have been advantageous.

    A low limb length to torso ratio is the core physical advantage in weightlifting all else equal. Lank and stocky man have the same distance lever between tendon and joint where your muscle’s force generates your torque, but lankier men have a longer limb where the external weight’s force is generating its torque. Hence, lankier men have more external torque applied to their joints for the same lifted weight and would be able to lift less weight for the same amount of muscle.

    Mother Nature knows that shorter limbs bear weight better. Just look at her designs for rhinos and hippos. I have no doubt that if their limb length was extended they wouldn’t be able to support as much weight.

    It is no surprise that Chinese have been winning weightlifting, since East Asians, in general, tend to do well in weight lifting, judo and wrestling due to having short levers. For example, Azeri-Iranian weight lifter Hossein Rezazadeh is the world record holder in weightlfiting. Azeris are Turks! His Turk blood has blessed him with short limbs and a long torso which is ideal for weightlifting.

  • 37 See if This Makes Sense // Sep 24, 2010 at 2:49 PM

    […] the most-read item ever on this blog was something I did on China’s 2008 Olympic weightlifters, in which I noted that when one country dominates weight lifting like that, we owe it to ourselves […]

  • 38 DH // Jul 22, 2011 at 4:50 AM

    You Americans are just sore losers, weightlifting is based on WEIGHT CLASS, something u obese guys don’t understand. many asians are extremely strong in the lower weight divisions, plus they’re dedicated and humble, bred thru a tough training regimen since they were 10yrs old. they weren’t eating 7-11 and acting like dbags at Gold’s Gym, and ended up with amazing snatches.

    just like boxing, ppl think big/muscular/tall american = best. look at what manny pacquiao is doing to everyone, he’s a short 5’6 filipino.

  • 39 Mathias // Sep 8, 2011 at 9:07 AM

    Hello, i just want to share my experience and let you guys make your own conclusion.

    I personally know one lifter who participated at the 2008 olympic games, who actually came…..LAST in his category and he admited taking steroids during his preparation. Actually i know, because he even did some injections infront of me. Well if he as a competitor who came last had to use steroids then , u think that the guys above him were clean???
    ALL OF THEM ARE ON STEROIDS.

    But clean during their competition.

  • 40 Fuzzy // Nov 8, 2011 at 6:23 AM

    Weightlifting takes no coordination?

    Weightlifting is one of the most complex movements possible. Try a snatch, I dare you.

  • 41 BOb // Nov 13, 2011 at 9:25 PM

    From Wikipedia, China has been in the #1 spot every world championships in terms of number of gold medals won since 1991. this is not a recent phenomenon. maybe genetics and training have more to do with it that anything else…

  • 42 Jay // Dec 13, 2011 at 5:37 PM

    I’ve been living in China for a few years now, and I have been powerlifting.

    If anything, Chienese are genetically disadvantaged in terms of strength. I lift with guys that look twice my size and can lift more than them.

    And cheating and lying is a way of life here. I’m not joking. Lying is seen as a form of higher intelligence. If a daughter pulls of a successful lie to her dad, she will be hugged and congratulated for her success.

    Also, the government lies about everything that is bad to its very own people, and to the world. I don’t know why it would tell the people that there are few STD when they are so rampant here… doesn’t make sense. Or when a bomb goes off, they say it was an elevator malfunction…

    Point is, they dope. It’s not seen as something bad here at all.

  • 43 Joel // Jun 17, 2012 at 7:13 PM

    There is a possibility of cheating with China in weight lifting – only a possibly. There also seem to be a lot of prejudice and stereotyping here. Have you looked at the physic of the track and field of USA compare to other countries? The physic of now basketball players and the players 30 years back? I’m sure many of them use enhancement drugs (not saying they all do). Also, what about US swimmers? Why are they winning so many gold medals? Remember when the scandal of baseball players using steroid? Why was there no talk of football players using steroid? Growing up in US, I have heard quite a number of steroid uses in football. Don’t think Asians are weaklings. As the economy develop, more and more people eat better (there were people literally starving in China not too long ago), have more leisure time and incentive to do sports and that’s why you see more Chinese starting to medal in the Olympics. For example USA’s economy has been good and that’s why you see more metals in the Olympics.

  • 44 ArrestChina // Jun 25, 2012 at 9:29 AM

    The Chinese either have developed a supplement that nobody knows about and/or a special machine that is used for training Olympic style lifts.

    Look at how smoothly the Chinese are lifting. If you develop a machine that they practice the lifts on, you can get a smoother technique. The machine can also give you technical details that free weights don’t. They can practice on the machine to develop technique and get computer feedback on flaws in technique. Then the athlete can apply this to free weights. Also, the Chinese lifters are backed by their government, so they can invest invest in drugs and machines to serve their propaganda purposes.

  • 45 Ninnypick // Aug 13, 2012 at 3:47 PM

    Um. Sorry to interupt all the brainy conversaton here. But if you saw the closeups of the girls faces, they all had bad acne and hair on their faces. Some had very long hiar on their chins.
    Whats the side effect of testostrone on girls?

  • 46 Jeff // Dec 7, 2015 at 10:54 AM

    WOW!

    I am a powerlifter and an olympic weightlifter and techniques is about 75% of the work.

    Chinese adopted some rigorious training taken from the USSR, Bulgaria and East Germany. Which yes takes in account drugs, but drugs does not make you lift 100kg more, 2 or 3 even 10, enough for a medal yes.

    Technique is imperative to the lift, you can be the stronger man alive, if you dont know how to properly lift it, you will struggle.

  • 47 IdiotsEverywhere // May 1, 2016 at 3:28 PM

    I can’t believe all of you think doping is the reason. Assume everyone is doping because that it pretty much how it is these days. So it comes down to skill and hard work if everyone is doping.

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