Liu’s ‘torture’ pays off with weightlifting gold for China

Chinese Olympic weightlifting gold medallist Liu Huanhua on Saturday described the “torture” of stepping up several weight classes, explaining how he had to pile on the pounds to secure his title triumph.

In the woman’s 81-kilogramme class, Solfrid Koanda of Norway won with a total of 275kg, 7kg ahead of Sara Ahmed of Egypt who edged Ecuadorian Neisi Dajomes by 1kg.

Liu lifted 406kg — 7kg short of his own world record in the 102kg class, the second-heaviest weight class for men.

Afterwards he explained how he had to “stuff a lot into my stomach” to make the jump from 81kg.

Akbar Djuraev of Uzbekistan finished 2kg behind Liu with Yauheni Tsikhantsou, a Belarusian competing in Paris as a neutral athlete, took bronze.

Both Djuraev and Dajomes had won golds in Tokyo in weight categories that no longer exist and settled for lesser medals at their new weights.

Dajomes had to bulk up from 76kg. Djuraev flirted with moving up to heavyweight before slimming down from 109kg.

“It was a little difficult to lose the weight,” he said. That’s why I won the silver medal.”

Liu’s win was China’s fourth weightlifting gold in Paris, underlining their domination of the competition.

Liu said he too had been forced to adjust when the 81kg class disappeared after the number of categories was trimmed from 14 in Tokyo to 10 for Paris.

“It was comfortable at the beginning because I had plenty to eat. There were a lot of things I was afraid to eat in the past,” he said.

“My weight increased to 98kg and then stopped. I had to stuff a lot into my stomach. There was a lot of fat so I had to increase cardio training — a lot of running and cycling. It was torture.”