Five powerlifting champions competing at Incheon 2014
13.10.2014With the Asian Para Games just a few days away, here is a list of Paralympic and world champions from one of most prolific regions in powerlifting.
China's Yujiao Tan of China celebrates winning silver in the women's -67.50 kg powerlifting at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
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The Incheon 2014 Asian Para Games will feature around 150 lifters from 28 countries that have produced some of the most successful powerlifters of all time.
At London 2012, 23 medals were handed to Asian athletes and at the 2014 IPC Powerlifting World Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 18 athletes made it onto the podium.
Competitions at Incheon 2014 run from 19-24 October at the Moonlight Festival Garden venue.
After adding 9kg onto the men’s over 107kg world record at Dubai 2014 with a huge 285kg haul, the world’s strongest Paralympian is heading to Incheon 2014 with only one target on his mind.
In Dubai the Iranian Paralympic champion decided against an attempt to break the 300kg barrier that fans had been waiting for, revealing that he was saving himself for Incheon 2014 instead.
If he succeeds, there will be fireworks.
After winning his first Paralympic title in 2008, Liu has dominated the men’s middleweight competitions.
Since his debut, he has won another Paralympic gold and shed pounds to go from the up to 75kg to the up to 65kg category in which he won his second world title at Dubai 2014. There he attempted a world record lift of 210.5kg but could not quite raise the bar high enough to secure it. Will he try again from Sunday?
3. Yujiao Tan, China
Citing her greatest sporting achievement as winning silver at London 2012, Tan’s next aim is to win gold at Rio 2016.
With a world title, world record and Asian gold in the women’s up to 67kg now firmly under her belt, she is on course to grace the top of the podium at her fist Asian Para Games as well.
4. Tzu-Hui Lin, Chinese Taipei
Since winning gold at Athens 2004 Lin has only finished outside of the top three at Paralympic Games and World Championships once, in 2002 where she just missed the podium.
Finding her form again at Dubai 2014 proved to be easy for the 33-year-old, as she set a new world record of 129kg ten years after she set her first world record at Athens.
5. Majid Farzin, Iran
The London 2012 champion is also the Para Asian Games title holder but was absent from Dubai 2014.
In Incheon, he will face China’s reigning men’s up to 80kg world champion Xiafei Gu who has twice broken the world record, once in 2013 and then again at the worlds with 236kg.
