Lü Xiaojun

Lü Xiaojun (Chinese: 吕小军; born 27 July 1984) is a Chinese weightlifter. He is a three time 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
Qianjiang, 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)
Medal record
Representing  China
Olympic Games
2012 London–77 kg
2016 Rio de Janeiro–77 kg
2020 Tokyo–81 kg
World Championships
2009 Goyang–77 kg
2011 Paris–77 kg
2013 Wrocław–77 kg
2018 Ashgabat–81 kg
2019 Pattaya–81 kg
2010 Antalya–77 kg
Asian Games
2014 Incheon–77 kg
Asian Championships
2011 Tongling–77 kg
2020 Taskent–81 kg
2008 Kanazawa–77 kg
Junior World Championships
2004 Minsk–69 kg
National Games of China
2013 Liaoning–77 kg
2017 Tianjin–77 kg
2009 Shandong–77 kg
In this Chinese name, the family name is Lü.
Lü Xiaojun
Simplified Chinese吕小军
Traditional Chinese呂小軍

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 thirteen senior world records throughout the course of his career, seven at –77 kg and six at –81 kg.

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 the confusion between Lü and his opponent Lu Haojie's family name, Lü was unable to attempt his third lift of snatch 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] However, due to the doping offences of Rahimov, the gold medal was stripped and Rahimov was disqualified, Lü regained the gold medal in 2022.[8]

At the 2020 Summer Olympics, Lü dominated the newly established men's 81 kg weightlifting competition by lifting 170 kg and 204 kg in the snatch and clean & jerk phases respectively for a total of 374 kg to win the gold medal. By winning this title, Lü became the oldest weightlifting champion in the history of modern Olympic Games at 37.

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.[9] The 81 kg division saw 5 world records set and 11 junior world records set. In the snatch portion, Lü 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.[10]

Personal life

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

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 WR11971972021379
2021 Tokyo, Japan 81 kg 165 165 170 OR 1 197 204 OR 210 1 374 OR
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 WR378 WR
Asian Games
2014 Incheon, South Korea77 kg16517017512002002001375
Asian Championships
2008 Kanazawa, Japan77 kg158163163188188192346
2011 Tongling, China77 kg160165165190192192352
2020 Tashkent, Uzbekistan81 kg165170174 WR199208208373
  • 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. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Chasing the Dream at Tokyo: LU Xiaojun". YouTube.
  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". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  6. ESPN (August 2012). "Lu Xiaojun sets snatch world record". Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  7. Oliver, Brian (11 August 2016). "Weightlifting: Doping questions raised as record-breaker Rahimov takes gold for Kazakhstan". Reuters. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  8. "Kazakhstan's Nijat Rahimov stripped of Rio 2016 Olympic gold medal and banned". BBC. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  9. Olympic Channel. "2018 IWF WEIGHTLIFTING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: WHO AND HOW TO WATCH". Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  10. IWF.net (5 November 2018). "World Record Parade in the men's 81kg". Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  11. "大力士吕小军变温柔小男人 甜蜜迎娶10年爱人(图)--体育--人民网".
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