Chinese Olympic champion weightlifter astonished at positive ITA report

(ECNS) -- The International Testing Agency announced Thursday that Chinese weightlifter Lyu Xiaojun tested positive and will be provisionally suspended from competing until the resolution of his case.

Lyu Xiaojun, a three-time Olympic champion weightlifter of China, was reported to test positive for the banned blood booster EPO on Oct. 30.

"I am very astonished. As a veteran, I have been strictly abiding by all anti-doping regulations of the International Weightlifting Federation, World Anti Doping Agency and Chinese Anti-Doping Agency," Lyu respond in a notice on Friday.

"I love my weightlifting career very much. As a weightlifter, I have won almost all the honors cleanly. I have no motivation, no reason to use any forbidden substances in the last stage of my beloved weightlifting career," he said.

"I will cooperate with relevant agencies to conduct investigations, find out the real reason for the problem, and clear my name," he added.

Lyu won gold at seven of his 10 appearances between the Olympics and world championships from 2009 through 2021 competing at either 77 kilograms or 81 kilograms. He is the world’s most decorated weightlifter across all categories in that time span.

Now aged 38, Lyu said on winning a third straight Olympic title in Tokyo last year that he would target a fourth at the 2024 Paris Games.