While we were in Almaty Hookgrip got a chance sit down with Liao Hui and the Chinese team manager to interview the freshly baked world champion and world record holder in our hotel lobby.
Read the full interview on Hookgrip’s Facebook page. You have to click the “See More” in the video description below.
Some Highlights:
- started weightlifting at 11, came from gymnastics
- Snatches and Clean & Jerks on separate days; only does both on one day before compsWhy he and Lu Xiaojun train only once a day
- Front Squats and Back Squats once a week, to maximum (Maxes are 255kg Front Squat, 280kg Back Squat)
- Why he does the super heavy Front Rack Holds after squatting
- Life in the training center
- plans after retiring from weightlifting
- max bodyweight in training is 74kg (at that weight he did this 200kg Clean & Jerk)
- starts diet 10 days out from competition
- has Clean and Jerked 210kg 3 times in his life.
- has Snatched 171kg at least 10 times
“Q: Are you a fan of any non-Chinese lifters?
L: I watch only myself.
Q: So you don’t have any weightlifting idols outside of China?
L: No, my idol is myself.”
LOL. Dude’s a boss.
The translation (by the Chinese team manager) was a bit of a struggle at points but we did our best.
171+210 = 381 kg total at (max) 74 kg bodyweight. He could move up to 77 kg and go for some more world records in a new weight class, the total and maybe the clean and jerk.
Of course it won’t happen as long as the Chinese have other good lifters in the 77 kg class, but imagine him gaining quality weight to 77 kg and maybe add a few kgs to the max lifts in training. If he has snatched 171 kg more than ten times at 74 kg, he must be able to do more at 77 kg with some careful preparation. Maybe he can go heavier in the clean and jerk as well.
It would be interesting to see what he would lift as a 77 kg lifter.
I would actually rather see him stay a 69 and try and go for broke. If he were to hit 169/203, say, he’d break the magical 500 Sinclair barrier only ever broken by Naim. Seems like that’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility for him. Hell, even “just” 165/200 would surpass Urik Vardanyan’s best Sinclair (405kg @ 82.5) and put Liao in the top 5 totals of all time.
It’s amazing to me how relatively underrated Liao is today relative to other big names like Lu and Ilya. When you look at the pure numbers he’s just on top of everybody. His total from Almaty is comfortably higher than Ilya’s, and he didn’t even bother to take his last C&J attempt. I’m not going to run the numbers right now but I’m pretty certain he’s comfortably higher than the winners of every other weight class, too. Not to knock Lu or Ilya or anyone else, who are tremendous athletes, but Liao is just unreal.
I don’t think Liao and underrated belong in the same sentence. Only when you put him in the company of Lu and Ilya, could you say that he may not have quite as much fame. To an extent, I think Liao’s previous ban inevitably ends up coloring his achievements when compared directly to Lu or Ilya. Lu and Ilya have supposedly never been popped and also have sterling competition records. In Ilya’s case it’s less his sinclair and more his ability to perform and win under huge stakes (and in a range of different weightclasses). All that said, point very well taken about how close he is to Naim-level sinclair.
Didn’t think about the sinclair, you have a point there. Breaking the 500 barrier would be a feat. What would it take do break 500 in the 77 kg class?
397kg. Even if Lu had a really great day and got a 178kg snatch, he’d need to clean and jerk 219kg.
Jesus. That really puts it into perspective, doesn’t it?
What Liao Hui means with action skill training on Monday’s? And does he do the snatches on Saturday?
I understood it as “technique training”
Q: Do the new Anta shoes feel similar to the Nike Romaleos that you used to wear?
L: They’re almost the same with the Nike. The new shoe is very good to me. And they make the new shoes according to my advice.
Q: Just your advice or other athletes as well?
L: Mostly me.
This was funny, Anta is basically the Liao Hui signature shoe line lol