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GOHEAVY.COM Olympic Weightlifting Forum
Re: Top 5 USA all time?
Posted By: sam maxwell (c-24-18-173-198.hsd1.wa.comcast.net)
In Response To: Top 5 USA all time? (Don Weideman)
Date: Monday, December 11, 2006, @ 10:12 p.m.
While I respect the accomplishments and the amazing lifts of the great American lifters of the 50's and 60's. Any "best of" list for the USA that does not include Jeff Michaels and Curt White is crazy. In the 50's, it was possible for people like Tommy to train 3 times per week in their basement, and hold down a full time job, and still compete at a world level. This is just not possible today. Once again, I respect all the lifters who were the best in their era, in fact I have talked to Tommy about this very subject before, but the fact is that weightlifting in Europe and many other parts of the world really became professionalized by the 70's, and at the international level became one of the most competitive sports in the world. During the Soviet heyday, they had a systematic talent identification system, letting only the best of the best rise to the top and represent their country. Any of their top ten lifters in almost any weight class could go to the worlds and win, or at least medal. So you have the best athletes, the best system, and competition that pushed the records to unheard of levels from 1972-1983. so now look at Jeff and Curt. Neither was part of a professional talent identification system. Both ended up in lifting by accident (like most lifters in the U.S.) they started at a young age, and both had very good technique, though differing styles. When curt did 200kg clean and jerk as an 82.5 in 1983, that equaled Schemansky's silver medal clean and jerk in the superheavyweight class from just 19 years earlier!(once again, I have the utmost respect for great lifters like Schemansky) but think about this. Curt's 200 was just 22kg's behind vardanyan's 222.5 world record, one of the most incredible records in lifting history. Another 10-12kgs, and Curt could have medaled at any world championships. (in fact, curt should have medalled in 84, but that's another story, seems like the u.s. is still the only country to turn down lifts when lifters drop the weights) Curt then went on to break Grippaldi's clean and jerk record, doing 205 at the 85 worlds, placing 7th (4th in the cj!). Pretty damn close to the top for a true amateur competing against full time pro's. In his prime, Jeff Michels was probably one of the most amazing lifter's the U.S. has ever seen. Consider that when he snatched 187.5 as a 110kg in 1983, the WORLD RECORD was 196.5, held by Taranenko. There is no doubt that either of these guys in the Soviet system would have been top 3 in the world. In fact I think Jeff would have held the world record in the snatch. Consider that by the 80's, the top athletes were snatching what were top clean and jerk weights just 2 decades earlier! We need to respect the fact that the sport became insanely competitive and professionalized, and that the best U.S. lifters had little or no support (still the case today), and were really true amateurs. That's what makes these guys 2 of the best we've ever had. Just my 2 cents.
ps--while I'm on the topic, I think Wes Barnett needs to be considered as well. 175-220 @ 108 at the 96 games. Pretty awesome.
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