Gold medal favorite Chen Lijun from China was forced to quit the men's 62kg weightlifting competition at the Rio Olympics on Monday due to calf cramps.

Chen, the world record holder for the total and jerk, suddenly suffered cramps in both her calfs about just 10 minutes before he began his first snatch attempt at 143kg.

The cramping did not stop and Chen was forced to quit after he failed to lift the barbell in his first and second attempts.

"Both of my legs were as stiff as stones. I even couldn't start the snatch," said the 23-year-old Chen.

"I was not nervous at all, and I don't think losing weight before the competition caused the cramp. I was confident about winning the gold," he added.

Yu Jie, the head coach of the Chinese men's team, didn't conceal his disappointment.

"I don't know what happened. Everything was fine when we were in the warm-up area," he said.

"We had expected to win the gold medal, but anything is possible in the Olympics."