Lyu Xiaojun: Weightlifting Olympic champion provisionally suspended after positive test
- Published
Lyu Xiaojun is a three-time Olympic and five-time world champion
Three-time Olympic weightlifting champion Lyu Xiaojun has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned substance.
China's Lyu, who won -77kg gold at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics before winning the -81kg title at Tokyo 2020, tested positive for erythropoietin during an out-of-competition test in October.
EPO improves performance by stimulating the production of more red blood cells.
Lyu has the right to request the analysis of his B-sample.
The 38-year-old - also a five-time world champion - became the oldest man to to win Olympic gold in his sport when he won in Tokyo last year.
In June, two former senior officials of the International Weightlifting Federation - former president Tamas Ajan and Nicu Vlad - were given lifetime bans for anti-doping rule violations.
Two years previously, an independent report found "corruption at the highest level" in international weightlifting and that Ajan operated a "culture of fear".