Chen Lijun surpassed 1 kilogram to win the championship, Li Fabin took the lead by 11 kilograms to win the gold.
Chen Lijun celebrated after the successful trial.
Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yang Lei
With the roar of the Chinese team player Chen Lijun, the People’s Daily, the 187 kg barbell was lifted above his head, three white lights were on at the same time, and the scene was overwhelmed by huge cheers. The snatch was 6 kg behind, and the second in the clean and jerk directly increased by 12 kg. On July 25th, Chen Li completed the go-ahead with a perfect lift and won the men’s 67 kg championship with a total score of 332 kg. The clean and jerk and the total score both refreshed the Olympic Games. Record, won the third gold since the start of the competition for the Chinese weightlifting team. Earlier that day, his teammate Li Fabin won the men’s 61 kg championship with a snatch of 141 kg, a clean and jerk of 172 kg, and a total score of 313 kg.
The Rio Olympics five years ago left Chen Lijun’s most painful moment. Due to cramps before the game, in the men’s 62 kg competition, he maintained the world record for the total score and even failed to leave a result. “A lot of sadness came along the way, and I kept holding a sigh of breath, just wanting to win the Olympic champion.” Talking about Rio’s regret, Chen Lijun choked up several times.
Chen Lijun’s journey to Tokyo was not easy. At the National Championships in October 2020, he suffered a right arm injury, leaving a scar of nearly 15 cm on his arm after the operation. “That was a big blow to me, but I didn’t give up.” Six months after the operation, he won the gold medal in the 2021 Asian Championships with a snatch of 153 kg, a clean and jerk of 180 kg, and a total score of 333 kg. He accumulated for the Olympic Games. Enough confidence.
But there were accidents everywhere. After a lapse of five years, Chen Lijun stood on the field of dreams again, and Chen Lijun became nervous. Under heavy pressure, he failed two snatch attempts. When the opponent took the lead to end the game with a clean and jerk of 180 kilograms and a total score of 331 kilograms, Chen Lijun’s trailing weight reached 10 kilograms. “It’s the first time to play such a passive game”, after the game, Chen Li’s heart was lingering.
Before going on the field, coach Yu Jie told Chen Lijun: “You have to work hard, you have to be worthy of so many years of hard work! You have to lift 187 kilograms for anything, and you can’t let yourself down!”
Only with strength can there be self-confidence, and with courage, there can be victory. “It feels quite light, and that tone has been on it!” Chen Lijun succeeded! Overtake the opponent by 1 kg and win the gold medal.
“Very thrilling, much more thrilling than we expected.” Zhou Jinqiang, chairman of the China Weightlifting Association, said after the game. Good role model.”
In the previous men’s 61 kg competition, Li Fabin failed the first snatch, but after two attempts, he successfully lifted 137 kg and 141 kg, leading the Indonesian team player Irawan by 4 kg at the end of the snatch competition.
In the clean and jerk competition, Li Fabin first tried to lift 166 kilograms. After lifting the barbell, his center of gravity was unstable, and he adjusted his center of gravity in a “golden rooster independent” method, and finally stood firmly. He then succeeded in lifting 172 kilograms, while Ilavan failed in two attempts to lift 177 kilograms. Although Li Fabin failed in his last attempt to lift 178 kilograms, he won the gold medal with 313 kilograms and 11 kilograms ahead of his opponent.
“I have done this action before in competitions. This is actually a wrong action. I don’t recommend imitating it.” Li Fabin said when talking about “Golden Rooster Independence”: “Thanks to my stronger strength, I pulled it back. Today is also more nervous. It may not be so smooth, it basically relies on brute force to lift it up.”
One mistake became a turning point in the whole game, which not only reflected his excellent adjustment ability, but also demonstrated Li Fabin’s solid personal ability.
Yiqi Juechen’s easy victory, the thrilling victory of the “Golden Rooster Independence”, the shocking reversal of the smashing, three gold medals in two days, the opening of the Chinese weightlifting team in the Tokyo Olympics was perfect. “There are five more projects in the future. We can’t be complacent. The goal is to get the good results we deserve!” said Zhou Jinqiang.