The Chinese weightlifting team departed from Beijing on May 9 for the 2026 Asian Weightlifting Championships, set to be held in Gujarat, India, from May 13 to 17. A total of 16 athletes have been selected to represent China at the event, including Olympic gold medalist Liu Huanhua, along with rising stars like Liu Mengjia, who have recently shown exceptional results in domestic competitions.
On the women’s side, Zhao Jinlan, Liao Guifang, Peng Cuiping, and Li Wen will compete in the 53 kg, 77 kg, 86 kg, and over 86 kg categories, respectively. Wei Junna and Liu Mengjia will take part in the 58 kg category, while Fang Lin and Yang Liuyue will contest the 63 kg category. For the men, Chen Huan, Lu Naigang, Tu Yi, and Liu Huanhua will compete in the 71 kg, 79 kg, 94 kg, and 110 kg categories, respectively. Additionally, He Yueji and Ding Hongjie will challenge the 65 kg category, and Pan Yunhua and Lei Jiangqing will contest the 88 kg category.
The International Weightlifting Federation has recently adjusted the weight categories multiple times, with new divisions set to be implemented from August this year for the Los Angeles Olympic cycle. Therefore, the current Asian Championships will still use the old categories, posing a challenge for the Chinese team, which has been training under the new system since winter. Many athletes need to temporarily adjust their body weight. Furthermore, most of the squad just competed in the National Weightlifting Championships in April, leaving a short interval between the two major events. This will test their physical reserves and ability to adapt training and competition rhythms.
According to the schedule, on May 13, the Chinese team will compete in the women’s 53 kg and 58 kg categories, as well as the men’s 65 kg category.
