Current head coach of the French national weightlifting team.

He represented France and won silver in the 69kg men’s weightlifting category at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

World champion, European champion in weightlifting.

“You cannot imagine how happy I am to have such a partnership with the LUXIAOJUN brand. The weightlifting shoes have truly changed the training lives of Cameroonian athletes, helping every child who loves weightlifting make their dreams come true!”

LUXIAOJUN Sponsorship in Cameroon

In 2024, the LUXIAOJUN brand, through Vencelas Dabaya, sponsored the Cameroon national weightlifting team.

Thirty years ago, 13-year-old Vencelas Dabaya happened to watch a weightlifting competition at the Barcelona Olympics. “The athletes’ high technical level and their courage and ability to challenge extreme weights left an unforgettable impression on me,” he said.

Every dream begins with a brave start, but Dabaya’s beginning was not smooth. At the end of the last century in Cameroon, weightlifting was not widely promoted, and ordinary people couldn’t access professional weightlifting gyms. Dabaya could only enter the training gym by helping a friend carry their training bag.

“Dreams don’t automatically come true; you have to work hard for them.”

Only by daring to start can you discover your full potential. Dabaya’s talent was eventually recognized by his coach at the time, and he was invited to train. For 13-year-old Dabaya, this was a life-changing opportunity.

Challenges in Weightlifting

The development of weightlifting has often been accompanied by words like “scary,” “high risk of injury,” and “no future.” Even today, many people hold prejudices against weightlifting, leading many parents to hesitate about letting their children pursue a career as professional weightlifters. Vencelas Dabaya’s parents were no exception.

For a long time, Dabaya had to train in secret, hiding it from his parents. His love for the sport persisted through the years, and as his performance improved and with the continuous persuasion of his coach and family, his parents eventually relented. However, they set strict conditions for him: “If you want to continue in this sport, you must become the best in the world. The name ‘Dabaya’ must be known globally.”

Impact of Sponsorship

The achievements Vencelas Dabaya earned at the Beijing Olympics fulfilled that promise to his parents and inspired countless children in Cameroon, just as the weightlifting competition at the Barcelona Olympics once inspired him.

Today, many children in Cameroon still aspire to weightlifting, just like young Dabaya did. You might find it hard to imagine, but due to economic constraints, dozens of children of different ages are crammed into a small training area, and many of them have never seen standard weightlifting equipment or a real pair of weightlifting shoes.

In 2024, the LUXIAOJUN brand, through Vencelas Dabaya, sponsored the Cameroon weightlifting team with 20 pairs of weightlifting shoes, aiming to support the development of weightlifting in Cameroon.