Chinese weightlifters are bidding to break their record of gold medals won at an overseas Olympic Games.
Spearheaded by defending Olympic and three-time world champion Lv Xiaojun (men's 77kg) and Beijing Olympics champion Long Qingquan (men's 56kg), the Chinese squad of six men and four women will feature in 10 separate categories in an attempt to better their haul of five gold and two silver medals in London 2012.
"Chinese lifters have improved over the last four years, but our opponents are stronger as well," said Wang Guoxin, the head coach of the women's team after their first training session in Rio on Thursday.
"Our goal is to win at least five golds here and we expect to clinch seven golds in total," said team leader Zhou Jinqiang.
China has won the most medals in weightlifting at every Olympic Games since Sydney 2000. They claimed eight titles in weightlifting at the Beijing 2008 Games.
Li Yajun, the women's 53kg world champion, will be tested by London Olympics silver medalist Hus Shu Ching of Chinese Taipei and world No. 4 Hidilyn Diaz of the Philippines who is competing in her third Olympic Games.
Men's 105kg medal hopeful Yang Zhe is out to prove Chinese weightlifters' competitiveness in heavyweight categories by taking on world champion Alexandr Zaichikov of Kazakhstan.
"Yes, I have waited for this moment for my whole life. I'm very proud to be standing on the platform of the Olympics," said Yang.
The men's 56kg division promises a strong battle between Long Qingquan and three-time world champion Om Yun-chol of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, while world record holder Chen Lijun of China will face London 2012 silver medallist Oscar Albeiro Figueroa Mosquera in the men's 62kg category.
"Eight years ago in Beijing, I was just a boy. Now, I've become a father. I hope someday my son will be very proud of me," said Long.
Fifteen gold medals are on offer in the Rio Olympics weightlifting tournament at Riocentro 2, which begins with the women's 48kg on Saturday.
