Though the grievous repercussions of the Sichuan earthquake have toned down the grandiose scale of the Olympic torch relay, preparations for the Games are still going full steam ahead. Quindlen Krovatin continues his "Red Star" series profiling notable Chinese athletes who'll go for gold in August:   

Name: Zhang Guozheng (张国政)

Age: 33 (dob: September 14, 1974)

Hometown: Xianyou, Fujian Province

Previous Olympic Medals: Gold in Mens Weightlifting at Athens ‘04

    Sometimes incredible strength comes in  surprisingly small packages. Just look at Zhang Guozheng. The seasoned weightlifter stands a mere 5 feet 4 inches tall and barely weighs 160 pounds after a big meal. But there’s nothing minuscule about his musculature. Zhang can clean and jerk three times his bodyweight and squat almost 500 pounds. See for yourself:

In the wide world of international weightlifting he's like David and Goliath rolled into one.

    The Olympic gold medalist is best remembered for his impressive victory at Athens in 2004 when he came back after years of disappointing performances to seize gold and demonstrate he still has what it takes to beat the best. Then he did it again at the 2006 Asian Games in Qatar (to read about another Asian Games all-star click here). Granted, much like China’s preeminent boxer, Zou Shiming (who, funnily enough, weighs a third less than Zhang even though he's two inches taller), Zhang competes in a comparatively light weight class, 69kg, which means he doesn’t have to contend with as many hulking competitors as can be found in, say, the 105kg weight class. Which is not to impune the color of Zhang’s medal or the quality of his mettle.

    What may tarnish both, however, are whispered rumors of doping. Although Zhang has never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, his return to the top of the sport after nearly a decade of languishing on it’s bottom rung has certainly raised eyebrows, especially when he’s lifting more than he ever has in his entire life at the not-so-tender age of 33. Granted, the sport is rife with the abuse of steroids and human growth hormone, and weightlifters face some of the most stringent testing at the Olympics, so the fact that Wang has never tested positive should help to quell such slander.

    Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Zhang has found himself a victim of his own success. When he first  joined the Chinese national team, Zhang was affiliated with southwestern Yunnan Province. In China, certain provinces excel in specific sports. For example, Liaoning province in China’s chilly northeast produces many of the country’s best table tennis players (as previously noted). So the family of a gifted table tennis player will often move to Liaoning so that they can take advantage of the province’s superior facilities and coaches. Similarly, Yunnan, known for its natural splendor and ethnic diversity, is popular with China's weightlifters.

    However, after a series of poor performances in the early ‘00s when Zhang failed to place in several high-profile competitions, Yunnan dropped Zhang, and he changed his affiliation to Shanxi province. It was only after he won gold at Athens that Yunnan came back demanding their cut of Zhang’s earnings and endorsement deals. An ugly tug-of war ensued. Ultimately, Zhang returned to Yunnan after provincial sports officials agreed to pay him $180,000 for being the first athlete from the province to capture Olympic gold. This experience helps illuminate the complex system of athletic development in China, which I’ll address in a later blog post.