National champion Yang Zhe wins gold in the 105kg category
Teenager Yang Zhe of Shandong stunned veteran Wang Hailong with obvious advantage to win the gold medal in the men’s 105kg category at the National Games Monday.
Yang, winner in the national championships in 2008, took the lead since the snatch to nail the gold with one attempt left, totalling at 402kg.
However, the 18-year-old Yang’s winning result had a whopping deficit of 34kg, compared with the weight lifted by the Olympic champion Andrei Aramnau of Belarus in the Beijing Olympics.
“I’m still young. I will keep improving my result and surpass my idol Cui Wenhua one day,” Yang told the press.
Cui, taking four golds in a row in the National Games, set the national record of the total at 420kg, before retiring after the 10th National Games in 2005.
“I know there is a wide gap between Cui and I, but I am confident. There is still time.”
Wang of Heilongjiang, winner in last Games in the 94kg category, upgraded to the 105kg category due to the increasing bodyweight.
However, Wang could not dominate the new category when he just succeeded in one lift in jerk to take the silver at 393kg, nine kilos short of Yang.
Zhang Lixiong of Hebei, national champion in 2009, collected bronze at 390kg.
