The 2026 Asian Weightlifting Championships have just concluded.
Background:
North Korea closed itself off during COVID. No competing, all international drug testers out. No WADA. They came out 2 years ago from the dopathon and they didn't exactly try to hide it. All their new weightlifters were breaking world records even though nobody ever heard of them and it's their first international competition. They still don't allow international drug testing in their country but are tested in competition. China was eclipsed, but they came out way too late for the Paris Olympic cycle so we didn't really worry about them since they didn't qualify. They have been dominant eversince and aim to make a big splash in 2028. But doped up teams tend to lose steam slowly once they have to start testing again.
China is going through a very tough time in weightlifting. Of course, we are the most drug-tested team in the world but on top of that all of our old champions retired right out of Paris and our super coach, Yujie also retired. He has trained more weightlifting Olympic champions than any other person in the world. So we had a bunch of noobs without our star coach lifting against a North Korean pharmacy. Times were dark. But China is a very experienced and very patient nation; we don't rush athletes' development and we plan in Olympic cycles, not for world champs or smaller comps. We have no problem training young weightlifters to never break the plan and never push for gold before they are ready but use the 3 years before the Olympics for building and experience before exploding in capability right before the Olympics.
The Big Picture:
This year is the year where China's noobs and North Korea's walking chemistry sets crossed, which is a little earlier than I expected. At the 2026 Asian Weightlifting champs in India, we tied North Korea for total result gold (7 each while beating them on silvers) but beat them on individual lift gold (21 to 18). They were not as dominant as they used to be and we set many junior world records with our new team coming of age. Our LA 2028 team is coming into shape.
The Small Amazing Picture:
Gigachad Liu Huanhua started out as the lifter who was marginalized, pushed to an unfavorable weight category for Tian Tao and Li Dayin, who were both more established. He eclipsed them both by becoming China's first heavyweight Olympic champion but the road forward seemed to be difficult because the weight categories changed. If he wanted another Olympic gold, he would have to either move down to face Karlos Nasar of Bulgaria or up to face Akhbar Djuraev of Uzbekistan. Both of these athletes are natural in their weight categories and rampantly dominant. Liu chose to go up to 110kg to challenge Akhbar because gym bros hate losing gains (bulk phase for life, amirite?). Liu used to lift as an 89 before he was squeezed up first to 96, then to 102 and now to 110! Many people believed that he did not have the frame size to make use of any extra weight past 96, if he could put it on at all! When that happens, the lifter may get heavier but his lifts don't improve and he doesn't get appreciably stronger. Sometimes, the snatch even suffers due to the lifter being slower from the extra weight. Indeed, going up by 21kg is what kids do; adult weightlifters almost always cannot handle such a large change.
Today, he proved those worries unfounded. Weighing in at 106.3kg (so he can fill out 3.7kg more in the 110kg class), he lifted a massive 190 snatch and almost had a 239 clean and jerk (his best international lifts as a 102 were 181+232=413)! The 239 was failed due to an elbow wobble which resulted because he relaxed a bit while rising thinking he had it, but he was there. If it had not been failed, he would have beaten Akhbar's world record 428 total at the 110kg class! Improving by 16kg is quite incredible for an adult who wasn't supposed to be that heavy! I don't remember the last time I saw that.
Liu's not clear out of the woods yet; they don't call him King Akhbar for nothing! Djuraev holds the 110kg snatch world record at 196kg and has attempted 245kg in the clean and jerk, which was unsuccessful but it was a number he selected without pressure after already winning so it should be within his ability. If Djuraev lifts like that, Liu's chances are still bleak. However, Akhbar has not lifted since October 2025 and declined to come to today's competition so we do not know if he is healthy. If he is injured or just not the same from age (people peak and fall at different ages but Akhbar should be in his prime at 26 while Liu is 24), Liu stands to become double Olympic champion as a heavyweight!
