Three-time Olympic weightlifting champion Lyu Xiaojun of China has tested positive in a doping case, the International Testing Agency said on Thursday. (More Sports News)

The ITA said Lyu tested positive for EPO, an endurance boosting hormone banned in sports, on October 30 while he was training.

The Chinese star is provisionally suspended while a disciplinary case is prosecuted.

Now aged 38, Lyu said on winning a third straight Olympic title in Tokyo last year that he would target a fourth at the 2024 Paris Games.

He was the oldest-ever weightlifting gold medalist when he won the men's 81-kilogram category in Tokyo.