Chinese weightlifter Lü Xiaojun just gets stronger and stronger with age. The former 77-kilogram, now 81-kilogram weightlifter has snatched a 150-kilogram (330.7-pound) triple and 180 kilograms (396.8 pounds). He’s hit an overhead squat of 220 kilograms (485 pounds), set 11 weightlifting world records across two weight classes, and deadlifted and clean pulled 270 kilograms (595.2 pounds) beltless.
The 36-year-old 2016 Rio Olympic Games silver medalist hasn’t lost a beat. On Feb. 17, 2021, he shared a video on his YouTube channel of him yelling his way through a 280-kilogram (617.3-pound) deadlift and clean pull without a lifting belt, but using lifting straps. Check it out below:
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That post-lift smile is well earned. This pull — which Xiaojun completes with his signature scream — is 3.45 times his competition bodyweight. It’s worth noting that the 2012 London Olympic Games gold medalist has dominated off the platform, too. We’ve seen Xiaojun train Tibetan stone lifters, launch his own line of barbells, test his hand at Olympic diving, set world records despite dealing with lingering injuries, and be named a member of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Athletes Commission.
Lü Xiaojun World Records
Here are all of Xiaojun’s world records, including the current world record clean & jerk and total in the 81-kilogram class.
77-Kilogram Weight Class
Snatch:
- 174 kilograms (383.6 pounds), 2009 IWF World Championships
- 175 kilograms (385.8 pounds), 2012 London Olympic Games
- 176 kilograms (388 pounds), 2013 IWF World Championships
- 177 kilograms (390.2 pounds), 2016 Rio Olympic Games
Total:
- 378 kilograms (833.3 pounds), 2009 IWF World Championships
- 379 kilograms (835.6 pounds), 2o12 London Olympic Games
- 380 kilograms (837.8 pounds), 2013 IWF World Championships
81-Kilogram Weight Class
Snatch:
- 172 kilograms (379.2 pounds), 2018 IWF World Championships
Clean & Jerk:
- 207 kilograms (456.4 pounds), 2019 IWF World Championships — Current World Record
Total:
- 374 kilograms (824.5 pounds), 2018 IWF World Championships
- 378 kilograms (833.3 pounds), 2019 IWF World Championships — Current World Record
At the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Xiaojun took home a silver medal after tieing the winning total with Kazakhstani weightlifter Nijat Rahimov. Rahimov took the gold for having a lighter bodyweight — the tiebreaker at the time. Rahimov has since been charged by the International Testing Agency (ITA) for urine substitution and is provisionally suspended by the IWF.
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On to Tokyo
Lü Xiaojun will compete in his third consecutive Olympic Games in Tokyo when they kick off on July 23, 2021. He secured his spot by lifting a kilo more than his current world record total in training. When the time comes, will Xiaojun call for enough weight on the bar to advance the world record total another time in what could be his last Olympic Games? We will be watching closely to find out.
Feature imaged: @lu_xiaojun.81 on Instagram
