Over at the GoHeavy Forums Don McCauley tries to make sense of it.
- Comparing, by average, top 3 places in all weightclasses from the 2001 AO to the 2011 AO, men and women (except one, where only 2 competitors totaled)comes out to about a minus 7kgs for women and a plus 6 kgs for men, overall. BAD (I think)
- Even though one had essentially retired after the 2000 Olympics, there were 2 realistic World A session totals at the 2001 AO. There were none at the 2011 AO. BAD
- Some of the medalists in 2001 were medaling in 2011. BAD (except for them)
- More 200kg plus Clean and Jerks in 2011 than in 2001.(GOOD)
My totally unscientific conclusion here is that we are “stuck in the Alabama mud” and, for all intents and purposes, point-wise, sliding backwards. My personal observation is that, technique-wise, we are just plain bad, overall. There are more competitors, but I don’t see more depth. I certainly see a decline at the top spots, although there are a few(that means 3-4) bright spots for the future, if they get coaching and find the right weight class.
