Chinese weightlifter Tian Tao retired after failing to qualify for the 2024 Olympics this spring — sort of.
- Tian, who has competed for Team China for over a decade, has signaled his intent to compete in the National Games of China in 2025.
Known for having some of the strongest legs in the world of weightlifting, Tian despite his retreat from the international stage is keeping up with his strength training.
Tian Tao 250KG/551LB Front Squat
“I feel like I’m flying,” captioned Tian in an Aug. 31, 2024 Instagram post. He was referring to his new weightlifting shoes, but Tian’s barbell was flying too.
A 250-kilogram, or 551.1-pound front squat is one hell of a lift for any strength athlete, active or otherwise:
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Team China’s weightlifters are renowned for their leg strength and impeccable technique; Tian carried that banner throughout his career with a series of truly monstrous lifts.
- Tian was no slouch on the lifting platform, either. Beyond winning silver at the 2016 Olympics, he still holds the 96-kilogram clean & jerk world record at 231 kilograms, or 509.2 pounds.
- Tian set that record in 2019, the same year he won his only World Championships title.
Why Didn’t Tian Tao Go to the 2024 Olympics?
Participating countries were afforded a maximum of six weightlifters for the summer Games in Paris.
- Paris 2024 showcased the fewest weightlifters in decades as a consequence of the International Weightlifting Federation’s failure to effectively curtail performance-enhancing drug use.
China was the only participating nation to field a full team of six weightlifters (five of whom won gold medals).
- Fine print: Countries could only select one athlete per weight category and up to three per gender. Tian not only had to prove he was a medal contender in his category of 89 kilograms; he had to display a stronger relative performance than his teammates to nab one of Team China’s men’s slots.
Despite setting a new clean & jerk world record (which has since been overwritten during the Paris Games), Tian, 30, was not able to rank high enough on the IWF’s leaderboard to merit Olympic team selection.
At the last-chance qualifier for Paris, the 2024 IWF World Cup in April, Tian “bombed out” in the clean & jerks, missing all 3 attempts.
Tian needed to post a strong Total in Phuket, Thailand, the site of the Cup if he wanted to convince his team to choose him over 89-kilogram teammate Li Dayin or one of the other Chinese males. Dayin fared poorly as well, despite being the world-number-one 89-kilogram athlete at the time.
- Gold-medal gamble: Team China, likely fearing another bomb-out in Paris from “Heart Attack” Tian as he is affectionately known to fans, selected 73-kilogram two-time Olympic Champion Shi Zhiyong instead.
- Zhiyong bombed out in the clean & jerks, giving away the gold medal to Indonesia.
Tian has not indicated any return to competitive weightlifting beyond the ‘25 National Games. In China, the Games are regarded with similar reverence to the Olympics and showcase all sorts of sports and athletic events, Olympic lifting included.
A 250-kilogram front squat from one of China’s most popular weightlifters ever indicates that Tian Tao may have a bit more fight in him.
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Featured Image: @tiantao89kg1 / Instagram
