INQUIRER Sports

BEIJING -- Doping tests of Olympic weightlifters have failed to turn up any positive results and China's dominance was due to talent and preparation, the International Weightlifting Federation chief said Friday.

Tamas Ajan also defended Liu Chunhong's world-breaking effort at the women's 69kg contest on Wednesday, the most dominant performance by the hosts China who have won six of the eight gold awarded so far.

Lifters were tested to determine if they took performance-enhancing substances, but "until today we don't have positive cases yet. We are very proud of this," the IWF boss told a news conference.

Ajan said the federation on its own had done its utmost to clean up the sport, with Bulgaria withdrawing its entire lifting team ahead of the Beijing Games after its members were caught in out-of competition testing.

Ajan reacted strongly to a Bulgarian reporter's suggestion that Liu's effort was questionable.

Defending Olympic champion Liu hoisted 128kg in the snatch and added 158kg in the clean and jerk for a total lift of 286kg, all new world records, on her way to winning the gold medal on Wednesday.

The silver medalist Russian Oxana Slivenko managed 115kg in the snatch and 140kg in the clean and jerk for a 255kg total, or 31kg lower than Liu's total.

"The 31kg does not say anything," Ajan insisted, citing how world records also keep tumbling at the Olympic swimming competition.

"The sport has some great talent," he added, citing Liu's "preparation" as the key.

Enlarging on the Chinese lifters' dominant performance here, Ajan said: "I would not surprised if they have one or two golds more. They have good preparation."