Back in June, Hillary Tran went a little bit viral. By posting an Instagram Reel — as of Oct. 2024, it’s up to 4.8 million hits — showing some of Team China’s youth athlete development camps in action, Tran pulled the curtain back and revealed the innards of the world’s most prolific, and perhaps secretive, weightlifting industry.
- China is the world’s best-performing country at Olympic lifting. At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, 10 gold medals were up for grabs across the sport’s various weight categories. China won five; as many as every other participating country combined.
For 20 years, China has mystified the weightlifting world with its prowess on the platform and, in particular, the depths of its talent pool. Like a magician conjuring a rabbit out of an empty hat, Team China seems to have an endless roster of top-tier weightlifters at their disposal.
So we sent Tran back to China to interview its youth weightlifting coaches. She was kind enough to sit down with a 20-year veteran of the Chinese weightlifting system and find out more about how the country selects, and develops, its future superstars.
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Interview: How Team China Develops Youth Weightlifters
Tran and coach Lu Xian Tao are good friends. They initially met in 2017 during a weightlifting camp hosted in China; tourism for barbell aficionados.
“We’ve kept in touch ever since. Over her career, she’s coached and programmed for me as well,” Tran tells us. Tran herself has practiced weightlifting for about nine years. They were kind enough to give us a peek behind the red-and-gold curtain.
BarBend: Tell us a bit about your background. How did you end up as a coach for Team China?
Lu Xian Tao: I’ve been coaching weightlifting in China for 20 years. I was [originally] an athlete and have been coaching since retiring. In China, you can generally work 30 years as a coach.
Note: Lu said her best lifts as an athlete were 100 kilograms in the snatch and 125 in the clean & jerk.
BB: At what age do you begin evaluating and recruiting children for sport?
Lu: We usually look for 9 to 10-year-olds.
BB: Are children selected from within their province only, or do you recruit from all over the country?
Lu: Provincial — each coach goes to neighboring villages to recruit [prospective athletes].
BB: Are families required to enlist their children in sports like weightlifting if they are deemed appropriate for it, or can they refuse?
Lu: Families [in these villages] don’t enlist their children; they’re typically opposed [to sending them away].
BB: Are weightlifting coaches involved in this process? What sort of physical attributes do recruiters look for, and what sort of tests do children perform?
Lu: Running, jumping, bodily coordination, and strength are all measured. [Weightlifting] coaches are directly involved and participate in athlete recruitment.
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BB: Let’s talk training. What does the first week of training look like for a child selected to begin weightlifting instruction in China? How much non-weightlifting exercise do they perform, and how often do youth weightlifters squat?
Lu: The first week is for basic core, coordination, and posture exercises.
BB: How much non-weightlifting exercise do they perform, and how often do youth weightlifters squat?
Lu: Generally, children start practicing the snatch and clean & jerk after half a year of non-barbell exercise. Youth athletes squat three times per week, twice a day, for six sessions total.
BB: How is weightlifting viewed within China compared to other sports?
Lu: Weightlifting is a niche event. It’s relatively unpopular in China.
BB: Historically, Team China has fared better in Women’s weightlifting than Men’s, and in lighter categories. Why is this?
Lu: China’s ethnic body shape is more suitable for small and medium [categories].
BB: How does Team China regard the recent return of North Korea to the international weightlifting circuit?
Lu: There’s a certain sense of crisis, but it also inspires us.
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Featured Image: Hillary Tran
