Lu Xiaojun hopes to secure a second Olympic gold medal

Chinese weightlifter Lu Xiaojun is hoping his lucky singlet will help him secure a second Olympic gold medal in the 77kg event at the Olympic Games Rio 2016

“You need to have a clear mind when you’re lifting. It is important to be able to focus on one thing, close out the rest of the world and not let anything else affect your concentration on the movement you need to make. You never know how strong your opponents will be, so you can only focus on yourself and try to beat your personal best.”

“To be a good weightlifter, you need specific skills that you can only achieve by working hard in training. Strength alone is not enough. You need comprehensive snatching and jerking skills and a high rate of success. Each time you try to lift, you should be successful. Technique is very important.”

“The Olympic Games only take place every four years. Before London, the preparation period was full of ups and downs for me and I was really grateful for all the care and help I received from others. My individual success in 2012 was therefore also the success of my entire support team. The whole process was tough, but I tried my hardest and succeeded.”

“Unlike other sports or disciplines, weightlifting training mainly focuses on weights. It’s not about the time you spend with small repetitions; you need to challenge your limits and go for big weights even if only once during a training session. I train twice a day, six days a week and even more when it comes to preparation for a competition. We start every session with some light weights before moving on to the heavier ones. Snatch, clean and jerk, power snatch, power clean, front squat, back squat and so on – these are the basic movements. We also put weights on various parts of the body to train the smaller muscles, such as the pectorals, lower back and the waist.”

“In my spare time, I enjoy spending time outdoors with my wife and child, and taking photos. I am not a professional photographer, but I love sharing my pictures with my close friends. Most evenings after dinner we also like to drink some tea with team-mates or friends. During holidays, I also enjoy singing karaoke!”

“I started weightlifting in 1998, at the age of 14. Prior to that I was a sprinter. I think that background in sprinting contributes to my explosiveness on stage when I’m lifting. Practising other sports can sometimes help a lot, especially with things such as flexibility. It makes it easier to control the position when doing a lift.”

“It’s not very difficult to maintain my weight. The food I eat helps build up my stamina, allowing me to train as hard as I can. I like spicy food and sometimes I find the time to go out to have dinner with friends as a change from my everyday diet. I don’t really like seafood, only Sichuan style food – like a spicy hot pot.”

“The singlet I wore at the Olympic Games London 2012 is a lucky item for me. From 2009 until last year, I only wore this singlet. But in order to preserve it, I will only use it for official competitions, not for training, as I want to compete in it at the Rio 2016 Games.”