By Sophie Hardach
China
BEIJING, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Novel training methods,
unprecedented scientific insight, or simply hard work and a
talent pool of 1.3 billion people?
Weightlifting experts from around the world are striving to
uncover the secret behind the success of China, which was
expected to win one-third of the 15 Olympic weightlifting gold
medals on offer but has already beaten that target.
Chinese coaches and athletes say there is no secret -- just
a tough training routine and the determination to win.
"Weightlifting depends on strength and so we women
weightlifters have fully understood the importance of strength
and pick up gold medals," said Olympic champion Cao Lei.
Cao brought home China's seventh Olympic weightlifting gold
of the Games in the 75kg class on Friday. Hours later, in the
men's 85kg contest, Lu Yong won the eighth.
China's female lifters have been especially impressive, not
only because they have won every competition they entered but
also because of their style. Cao and her compatriot Chen Xiexia
appeared to lift the barbell with astonishing ease and
assurance that contrasted with their groaning, straining
challengers.
At the Olympics, Chen lifted 13kg more, Cao 16kg more, and
gold medallist Liu Chunhong, 31kg more than their closest rival
-- this in a sport where there is often just a single kilogram
between gold and silver.
Some speculate that China has unlocked a new technique
which allows women in particular to achieve unprecedented
results.
Andrew Charniga, an international weightlifting federation
official, has watched the Chinese women train and suspects the
secret could be in a long warm-up. While a long warm-up can
exhaust men, it possibly has the opposite effect on women, allowing them to take on higher and higher loads.
"It's a training method that is unique. They think women can do more loading than a man," he told Reuters, adding that he had observed a similar effect in non-Chinese female weightlifters who can load more the longer they warm up.
Whether his theory holds remains to be seen. Chinese lifters have been tight-lipped on their training routine. Tamas Ajan, the president of the federation, puts their success down to the country's sports schools.
"Thousands and thousands of young boys and girls practise every day, it's the right nutrition, the right medical treatment, the right training -- this is not a wonder, this is the sport," he told reporters. "Twenty-first century sport is different." (Editing by Alex Richardson)
