Weightlifting question...

[79]

I was recently watching the IWF world championships on tv (in Bogota this last December)
I realized the USA are a weak nation through all the weight categories of this olympic event.
They were so dominant 70 years ago.
How can you explain this?

[scottmitchell74]

I was recently watching the IWF world championships on tv (in Bogota this last December)
I realized the USA are a weak nation through all the weight categories of this olympic event.
They were so dominant 70 years ago.
How can you explain this?

My guess:

We're a football, baseball, basketball nation and when we do do strength sports they are Powerlifting.

But that's a guess.

[gm]

My guess:

We're a football, baseball, basketball nation and when we do do strength sports they are Powerlifting.

But that's a guess.

I think you're right on with this. Plus, we have very few technically proficient coaches, from what I have seen.

[AFTERBURNER]

My guess:

We're a football, baseball, basketball nation and when we do do strength sports they are Powerlifting.

But that's a guess.

More football and basketball than baseball.

[TN1965]

USA Weightlifting once tried to recruit Christian Cantrell.

[jc203]

Christian CantWell, not CantRell...
I'm a Cantrell, also with a Missouri family tree but way different genetics than ChristIan :-)

[bambam1729]

How about on this thread mixing with T&F and discuss people who combined the 2 sports - weight throwers obviously.

I would start with Gary Gubner and Ken Patera, both US ranked in the shot put, I believe - haven't checked and don't know if they were ever world ranked (I don't think so). Both of them also won medals in weightlifting at the World Championships, Gubner in the 1960s and I think Patera around 1971-72

[gh]

pretty sure Al Feuerbach was a national lifting champion.

The US super-heavy lifting duo in Montréal was noted putters Bruce Wilhelm and Sammy Walker.

[J Rorick]

Patera was never world-ranked. But Gubner was world-ranked 4 times: 61-6, 62-2, 63-5, 64-10.

[gh]

Patera was never world-ranked. But Gubner was world-ranked 4 times: 61-6, 62-2, 63-5, 64-10.

but Patera was No. 6 in the US iin '68

[bambam1729]

pretty sure Al Feuerbach was a national lifting champion.

The US super-heavy lifting duo in Montréal was noted putters Bruce Wilhelm and Sammy Walker.

Forgot about those guys - here are our Olympedia bios on them:

Sam Walker excelled in several sports. In high school he was an All-State fullback in football. Walker also broke the national high school record for the shot put with a mark of 72-3¼ (22.03 m), set at Corpus Christi, Texas on 27 April 1968. He also was US ranked nine times in the shot put (1970-71, 1973-79), with a top ranking of fourth in 1975. Walker competed at the 1972 and 1980 Olympic Trials in the shot put, placing 11th in 1972 and seventh in 1980. He attended Southern Methodist University, graduating in 1973 with a degree in business. While there he placed second in the shot at the 1971 NCAAs, finishing fourth in 1972 and 1973. Walker was third in the AAU shot put in 1973, placing in the top six every year from 1972-78, except for 1976 when he was concentrating in weightlifting. Walker made the 1976 US Olympic weightlifting team by placing second at the AAU meet, where he recorded his career bests of 152.5 kg in the snatch, 210.0 kg in the clean & jerk, and a total of 362.5 kg.

-----------------------

Bruce Wilhelm excelled in multiple sports. He was a shot putter and discus thrower in high school, winning the 1963 Golden West Invitational shot put for high schoolers. He then attended Stanford, where he competed in the shot and discus and was the 1965 Pac 10 champion in heavyweight wrestling, placing fourth in 1966 at the AAU wrestling meet in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. Wilhelm transferred to Oklahoma State where he competed in the shot put and wrestling, placing sixth in the shot put at the 1967 NCAAs. Wilhelm was fifth at the 1972 US Olympic Trials in the shot put. He was US ranked six times in the shot – 1967, 1969-73, with high rankings of 3rd in 1970 and 1973. He placed either fourth or fifth at the AAU meet each year from 1969-73.

Wilhelm turned to weightlifting, winning the AAU title in the unlimited class in 1975 and 1976. He won a silver medal in all-around at the 1975 Pan American Games, also garnering a gold in clean & jerk and bronze in snatch. After the 1976 Olympics Wilhelm turned to strong man contests and won the inaugural World’s Strongest Man event in 1977, repeating as champion in 1978. He later helped organize that event. Wilhelm also served on the Executive Board of the US Olympic Committee.

[gh]

Sammy Walker was also the first high schooler to have a dedicated front-page photo on T&FN.

[wamego relays champ]

Sammy Walker was also the first high schooler to have a dedicated front-page photo on T&FN.

Well, since dedicated front-page photos were not used (except for Annual or Olympic editions) until February 1968, and his HSR came in April 1968, then this makes sense. Had dedicated front page photos been used in years prior to 1968, it seems likely that Ryun or Lindgren would have landed on the cover before Walker.

Answer to a great trivia question, though.

[18.99s]

My guess:

We're a football, baseball, basketball nation and when we do do strength sports they are Powerlifting.

Or bodybuilding or shot put or wrestling, all of which have Americans in the global top ranks.