At the 2024 Asian Classic Powerlifting Championships (力量举亚洲锦标赛) in Tashkent, Zheng Xiaoxuan won the third place with an impressive total lift of 430 kg — a 175 kg squat, a 95 kg bench press and a 160 kg deadlift. That has earned her a spot in the coming 2025 World Games.

Zheng started powerlifting to overcome an over-eating problem. In 2020, after entering university for her master’s degree, she gained weight quickly due to bad habits. “At first, I tried to control my eating, but the harder I tried the more I lost control,” she said. She began working out at the gym and met Yi Ruolong, a PhD student who became her workout partner and boyfriend. Yi noticed her talent and encouraged her to compete. Then Zheng started planning her competition journey.

After practicing for a while, Zheng signed up for the Cross-Strait Invitational Powerlifting Tournament which was held in Xiamen, Fujian province, in May 2024. She showed her skills perfectly, squatting 170.5 kg at a body weight of 60.15 kg, breaking the national squat record for women under 63 kg.

Balancing training and studies is tough, but Zheng prioritizes (优先考虑) research. She has an average score above 90 in her PhD program and has published papers in top journals. Like her scientific work, she plans her workouts carefully and improves.

As Zheng prepares for the World Games and works to finish her PhD thesis, she shows that love and planning can lead to success in both study and sports.

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1. 1. What achievement did Zheng make at the 2024 Asian Championships?

A    She set a world record.

B    She won a medal.

C    She signed up for Olympics.

D    She broke the Asian record.

2. 2. What can we know about Zheng before her weightlifting?

A    She was a professional athlete.

B    She lost weight quickly.

C    She had some health problems.

D    She had already known Yi Ruolong.

3. 3. What happened at the Xiamen tournament?

A    Zheng set a new national record.

B    Yi Ruolong won a medal.

C    Zheng failed to finish the squat.

D    Yi Ruolong broke a record.

4. 4. What can we learn about Zheng?

A    She likes sports more than study.

B    She only focuses on research.

C    She will give up weightlifting.

D    She balances sports and study well.

5. 5. Where can we read this passage?

A    On a school noticeboard.

B    In a geography textbook.

C    On a news website.

D    In a travel magazine.