Olympics' delay weighs heavily on older athletes
Lyu Xiaojun
Age: 35
Event: Weightlifting
At an age that means twilight for a sport requiring pure strength, Lyu seems remain in the prime of his career after defending his 81kg gold medal at the world championships in Thailand last year with a spectacular performance, which saw him set new world records in the Clean and Jerk (207kg)and the total (378kg).
The 10-time world champion, who won a lighter weight class (77kg) at his Olympic debut at London 2012, is expected to battle against much younger compatriot Li Dayin in Tokyo to fight for his first Olympic gold since upgraded to the 81kg division in July 2018. To adjust his training program for the delayed Olympics, Lyu said he will take time to let his back fully recover from an injury during the 2019 world's before gradually pushing for more weight training in his program.
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