Lü Xiaojun

Lü Xiaojun (Chinese: 吕小军; pinyin: Lǚ Xiǎojūn; born 27 July 1984) is a Chinese weightlifter. He is an Olympic champion and five time world champion competing in the 77 kg category until 2018 and 81 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories.[2]

Lü Xiaojun (吕小军)
Personal information
NationalityChinese
Born (1984-07-27) 27 July 1984
Hubei, China
Height1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight80.75 kg (178 lb)
Sport
CountryChina
SportWeightlifting
Event(s)–81 kg
ClubTianjin
Coached byYu Jie [1]
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)
In this Chinese name, the family name is Lü.

Early life

Lü was born in a village administered by Qianjiang City, Hubei Province. His father, Lü Yuan, and the rest of his family were farmers. When he was 13 years old he joined a local sports school to be trained as a weightlifter, which was an opportunity to escape rural poverty. In 1999, to remove the financial burden on Lü's family, his coach Dengling Hu sent him to join the provincial team.

Weightlifting career

In 2003 Lü represented the Hubei provincial team in the Chinese national weightlifting championships, competing at 69 kg. He won the bronze total for his class. The same year, due to his outstanding performance, he was recruited by the Chinese national team. In 2006 due to ligament injuries in his shoulders and legs, he left the national team. In 2008, after the 2008 Summer Olympics, Lü renewed his training in the national team with coach Yu Jie.[3]

He has set 12 senior world records throughout the course of his career.

Lu Xiaojun in Switzerland, 2019

Olympics

Heading into the 2012 Summer Olympics Lü was the heavy favorite to win. He ended up winning the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the 77 kg class with a total of 379 kg.[4] His snatch of 175 kg set both a world and Olympic record, as did his total of 379 kg, for the 77 kg class.[5] Due to an error during the snatch phase, Lü was unable to attempt his third lift at 177 kg.[6]

He was again the heavy favorite to win gold at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He finished the snatch phase with a new world record of 177 kg, but did not win gold due to Nijat Rahimov's clean and jerk world record of 214 kg. Lü and Rahimov had the same total, but Rahimov won due to virtue of a lighter body weight.[7]

Lu at the 2018 World Weightlifting Championships

World Championships

In 2009 he won his first World Weightlifting Championships where he set new Snatch and Total world records. Looking to repeat in 2010 he ended up being the silver medalist, but returned in 2011 to win gold for the second time.

Lü won 3 gold medals in the 77 kg class at the 2013 World Weightlifting Championships. He broke his own world record in the snatch with a lift of 176 kg. He also completed a 204 kg clean and jerk, setting a new world record total of 380 kg.

At the 2015 World Weightlifting Championships he won the gold medal in the snatch, but was unable to complete a clean and jerk which eliminated him from winning a fourth world championship.

In 2018 the International Weightlifting Federation updated the weight classes, and he competed in the newly created 81 kg division.[8] The 81 kg division saw 5 world records set and 11 junior world records set. In the snatch portion, Lu initially set the snatch world record of 172 kg, then Mohamed Ihab in his next attempt lifted 173 kg setting a new world record. In the clean & jerk portion, Mohamed Ihab set 2 new world records in the total with his first two lifts, but he was unable to lift his final clean & jerk of 203 kg. This allowed Lu to win gold with his 202 kg clean & jerk, setting a new world record total of 374 kg, out lifting Mohamed Ihab by 1 kg.[9]

Personal life

Lü married his long-term girlfriend Guo Xiyan, a former world class weightlifter herself, in December 2013.[10] They have one child together, born in August 2014.[11]

Major results
Year Venue Weight Snatch (kg) Clean & Jerk (kg) Total Rank
1 2 3 Rank 1 2 3 Rank
Olympic Games
2012 London, England77 kg170175 WR17711952042041379 WR
2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil77 kg170175177 WR11971972022379
World Championships
2009 Goyang, South Korea77 kg165170174 WR200204211378 WR
2010 Antalya, Turkey77 kg165170175200206206370
2011 Paris, France77 kg165170170200205211375
2013 Wrocław, Poland77 kg160170176 WR196204–380 WR
2015 Houston, United States77 kg170175177201201201–––
2018 Ashgabat, Turkmenistan81 kg165170172 WR197202205374 WR
2019 Pattaya, Thailand81 kg165165171191205207 CWR378 CWR
Asian Games
2014 Incheon, South Korea77 kg16517017512002002001375
  • CWR: Current world record
  • WR: World record

References
  1. "London Olympics Weightlifting Men". Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  2. PDF listing of 2018 Group A world championship entrants in 81 kg
  3. http://www.allthingsgym.com/short-lu-xiaojun-documentary-interview-english-subtitles/#more-38381
  4. "London Olympics: Record-setting Lu Xiaojun wins men's −77kg weightlifting". Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  5. BBC. "Lu Xiaojun wins gold with record lift". Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  6. ESPN. "Lu Xiaojun sets snatch world record". Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  7. "Weightlifting: Doping questions raised as record-breaker Rahimov takes gold for Kazakhstan". Reuters. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  8. Olympic Channel. "2018 IWF WEIGHTLIFTING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: WHO AND HOW TO WATCH". Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  9. IWF.net. "World Record Parade in the men's 81kg". Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  10. http://sports.people.com.cn/n/2013/1203/c22176-23728365.html
  11. http://www.allthingsgym.com/lu-xiaojun-175kg-snatch-200kg-clean-jerk-2014-asian-games/
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