Former Olympic champion Liao Hui win gold at National Games

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Former Olympic weightlifting champion Liao Hui claimed the men's 69kg title at China's National Games on Monday, one year after serving out a two-year ban for doping.

Liao, who won the gold medal in the 69kg category at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, snatched 161kg and jerked 187kg for a total lift of 348kg. He tried to hoist 198kg, the national record in clean and jerk, but failed two attempts.

"Without stiff challenge, I could hardly bring my full potential out, so the result is not perfect," said the 25-year-old.

"My focus is not on the National Games. My goal is winning gold in next month's world championships," he added.

The world championships will be held in Warsaw, Poland in October.

The International Weightlifting Federation handed Liao a four-year suspension in September, 2010, for use of illegal drug boldebolin, but Liao had the ban reduced to two years after appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The shortened ban still kept him out of the London Olympics, where another Chinese Lin Qingfeng won gold. Lin finished a disappointing fourth at the National Games on Monday.

"When I looked back, I felt sad. That's why I did not show much excitement over my victory here," Liao said.

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