Chinese weightlifter Tian Tao, 22, is back to moving some serious weight. Ma Strength, a Chinese weightlifting coaching outlet, shared a compilation video featuring Tao taking a 300kg squat double for a ride, then finishing with some very heavy cleans.
Tao competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics and finished second in the 85kg weight class. His final recorded lifts were a 178kg snatch and a 217kg clean & jerk. These lifts earned him second in behind gold medalist Iranian weightlifter Kianoush Rostami.
Ma Strength’s latest video features Tao hitting a 210kg, 220kg, and a final PR 225kg clean & jerk. Keep in mind, two of these lifts are higher than what earned him second at the 2016 Olympics.
The current clean & jerk world record for the 85kg weight class is held by Rostami at 220kg. He set this last year in May at the Fajr Cup, which was held in Iran. Tao’s 220kg clean & jerk (which ties the world record) looked incredibly smooth and easy.
His personal best 225kg clean & jerk also looked smooth, and as though he had more in the tank. Would you agree? Another fun aspect to watch with Tao’s lifting is how clean his squat jerks are. Very few elite athletes at this caliber can squat jerk as clean as Tao can.
The 300kg (660lb) squat double was also ridiculously impressive. That’s 3.5 times Tao’s competition bodyweight, and his speed out of the hole was never slowed.
Also, let’s not forget the time Tao attempted a 230kg clean & jerk, which is shown in the video below. This video was originally posted on Instagram by All Things Gym back in October 2016. The video below shows him barely missing the squat jerk off the back.
This lift would have topped Rostami’s world record by 10kg, but we guess 5kg will have to do for now. Tao is one of the most exciting young lifters to watch, as he’s only 22 years old. His speed and strength is crazy, plus his squat jerk is so clean it’s hard not to be a little envious of Tao’s lifts.
His recent 225kg clean & jerk tops the world record by 5kg, but can he continue this momentum to his next formal competition? Remember, the Chinese are still facing their ban from International competition.
Feature image from @mastrength Instagram page.
