European Championship 2023

[erpel]

The stage/production value is neat (again). The neon lights with dark background is in vogue I guess. Looked similar in Russia, Georgia etc.

Ivan Ivanov is shorter than his 45kg lifter. I guess what I'm saying is he's likely glad he competed in an era where the lightest Olympic class wasn't 61kg.

[strapping]

Another predicted theme: Italy will continue to go "PR or ER" mode in their interpretation of how to best qualify.

The stage/production value is neat (again). The neon lights with dark background is in vogue I guess. Looked similar in Russia, Georgia etc.

literally every hipster cafe, bar and restaurant in my city (along with twitch streamers. maybe weightlifting is becoming more modern?)

Ivan Ivanov is shorter than his 45kg lifter. I guess what I'm saying is he's likely glad he competed in an era where the lightest Olympic class wasn't 61kg.

Yeah. 61kg as a minimum makes sense for political reasons, but the exclusion of a 50s BW class is a shame IMO even accounting for growth in average heights. Some of the best lifting has come from low bodyweight classes.

[Elle]

Another predicted theme: Italy will continue to go "PR or ER" mode in their interpretation of how to best qualify.

Giulia has to push to hope for Olympic qualification. But, maybe it's a hunch, there's something wrong with her: It seems to me that there is a psychological problem with the snatch. And her technique doesn't seem to me to be improving significantly. She is the same Giulia of 2021. It's a pity, because I would like to see it among the first in the world!

[strapping]

Giulia has to push to hope for Olympic qualification. But, maybe it's a hunch, there's something wrong with her: It seems to me that there is a psychological problem with the snatch.

The qualification system, uses the best total of the qualifying events leading up to the Olympics, yes. This does not necessarily entail opening at very high weights. This was an expected outcome/situation from the qualifying system, but the drafter described this (paraphrasing) as a regrettable but unavoidable consequence.

For whatever it's worth, the drafter was/is a coach of many years and would definitely *not* go PR or ER with lifters, but build momentum across the quad. Which is the intelligent thing to do. I don't think there's so much of a psychological problem so much as she hasn't improved as a lifter and the Italian team is opening her at 2nd/3rd attempt weights which means she'll miss a lot.

And her technique doesn't seem to me to be improving significantly. She is the same Giulia of 2021. It's a pity, because I would like to see it among the first in the world!

I agree, her technique is good in some areas but very overrated.

Her pulling strength for her frame is still very weak, resulting in a poor pulling rhythm (huge loss of vertical force/acceleration approaching the knee and in the transition), poor pulling height and she doesn't stay connected in the finish of the snatch/clean.

She's just "fast" (an illusion) because she's got good squatting strength, especially elastically. Her actual time to fixate and stabilise the bar/shoulders in the snatch or clean are slow, especially in light warmups and maximal weights.

[strapping]

Damn, the Armenian crowd is a bit rough clapping and cheering a clean pull from SAHIN Muammer (TUR).

[erpel]

The live scoreboard situation has been fixed by... pointing a camera at the scoreboard:

https://www.easywl.com/results/index.php

[Elle]

A nice 61kg competion. Mishvelidze was in great shape and Massidda... well, I did not understand the competition of Massidda. The 134kg snatch was very slow, and the 137kg snatch was far from being a good lift. Was he in not so good shape? Than the error at 154kg. Ok, definitely not his day. Then 162kg... whaaat?! He's a motherfu##ing monsteeer!

Great technique anyway.

[strapping]

A nice 61kg competion. Mishvelidze was in great shape and Massidda... well, I did not understand the competition of Massidda. The 134kg snatch was very slow, and the 137kg snatch was far from being a good lift. Was he in not so good shape? Than the error at 154kg. Ok, definitely not his day. Then 162kg... whaaat?! He's a motherfu##ing monsteeer!

Great technique anyway.

I wonder if Massidda had a bad weight cut or injury to the traps/back.

All three snatch attempts were too leaned back in the pull, not finished and he didn't really catch/brake much with the legs (though he does this normally, but not this bad). 137 he just totally cut the pull.

For the clean and jerks it look like he didn't use his upper back or brace for the jerk. The bar was visibly sitting forward in the front rack on the first attempt, and he cut the drive on the 2nd jerk but was strong enough to make it. Third attempt he remembered his legs exist and used them in the jerk, but still very loose through the trunk.

The wobbliness/shakiness makes me wonder a bit if it was a bad cut. He's normally like this at maximal weights, leaning forward in the start position of the jerk/not strong through the trunk overhead. However, he's usually not this wobbly and unstable - normally if he misses it'll be because he drove the bar forward.

Mishvelidze's style reminds me a lot of Rybakou. Though despite being a squat jerker, he's still a better jerker than Rybakou.

On the other hand, Marinov (BUL) has a jerk style that is about as rugged Bulgarian nugget as it gets. Snatch grip splot jerk is definitely one of the styles of all time.

[strapping]

me looking at the scoreboard during w59 snatches
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFIrKWg89r4

[erpel]

Konotop 2023 Euros reminds me of Kostova 2015 Euros. Just not as extreme.