Six days a week since she was 12 years old, with only a few days of time away each year, Hou Zhihui has been driven by one mission: Heaving more than double her body weight into the air.
On Saturday, at the Tokyo Olympics, Hou¡¯s dedication ¡ª sequestered from her family, dogged by near constant pain ¡ª paid off. She won gold in the 49-kilogram division and shattered three Olympic records, part of a fearsome Chinese women¡¯s weightlifting squad that aimed to sweep every weight class it was contesting.
¡°The Chinese weightlifting team is very cohesive, and the support from the entire team is very good,¡± Hou, 24, said after winning gold. ¡°The only thing we athletes think about is focusing on training.¡±
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