Russian weightlifting documentary.

[Matt Thomas]

Not sure if this has been posted before, but I thought it was kind of cool

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPqGA90pvdE (WFS)

[Doug Lantz]

I've heard of but never heard from either one of them, thanks for posting it.

Unfortunate that the the anticipated London Showdown didn't happen...

[Matt Thomas]

Can someone explain the part about Akkaev not doing as well because he was on the B roster or whatever? I didn't really understand that. He said he would have done better if he was on the A roster or something. What does that have to do with it? It's not just a matter of lifting more weight and winning?

Originally Posted by Matt Thomas

Can someone explain the part about Akkaev not doing as well because he was on the B roster or whatever? I didn't really understand that. He said he would have done better if he was on the A roster or something. What does that have to do with it? It's not just a matter of lifting more weight and winning?

He was entered into the B session in Beijing. He believed (along with everyone else bar his coaches) he could have won if he was in the A session. He won the snatch by 5kg. Because he was only entered into the B session, he didn't have anyone to chase so had to set a target that he felt would win. Obviously this didn't work out because Ilyin and Kolecki beat him. Akkaev is a freak talent, and it's a shame Rigert didn't believe in him 4 years ago.

It's a shame about the two of them missing the London Olympics, but I can guarantee they are many times more gutted than any of us will ever be.

[Matt Thomas]

So basically it's just a matter of who he's lifting against? It comes down to a motivation thing?

Originally Posted by Matt Thomas

So basically it's just a matter of who he's lifting against? It comes down to a motivation thing?

Would you do better if you were competing against someone else at that given time? If the answers yes, then that will answer your question.

[Matt Thomas]

I just don't understand the structure of a weightlifting competition. I don't know what it means to be in group A or group B. Can you explain it?

My GUESS is that there is a group of "less talented" athletes who compete first, which Akkaev was placed in. So less talented athletes plus having to set the standard instead of chase it...I dunno. The better athletes in group A compete last so they know the numbers they have to hit and they're also competing against better talent. Is that pretty much how it works?

A/B sessions are based on the number of lifters and their respective entry totals. If there are more than a certain number (I think it's 12) of lifters, they'll split them up into 2 sessions. The lifters with lower entry totals will enter the B session, while the higher entry totals will enter the A session. Akkaev had a low entry total because Rigert didn't think he would stand a chance against Kolecki, Ilyin or Sedov.

You've got the general idea.

[Keith Miller]

Originally Posted by Struan Potter

A/B sessions are based on the number of lifters and their respective entry totals. If there are more than a certain number (I think it's 12) of lifters, they'll split them up into 2 sessions. The lifters with lower entry totals will enter the B session, while the higher entry totals will enter the A session. Akkaev had a low entry total because Rigert didn't think he would stand a chance against Kolecki, Ilyin or Sedov.

You've got the general idea.

This^^^

And it's usually up to the coach to supply the entry totals. It should be a given lifter's actual total at a recent meet, but doesn't have to be. There's alot of times the coaches simply make them up to place a lifter into a given group.

So, A/B doesn't really have anything to do with talent, unless you count their total amount lifted as talent. This doesn't hold up due to my statement above.

I've seen meets where a lifter is clearly going to win, but their coach enters a total that places them in B session so they don't have to get stressed out from competitors (Rybakov is an example).

[Matt Thomas]

Thanks for clarifying.

I wonder if his coaches feel stupid

Here's another cool thing I found recently. We'll just call this the awesome Russian thread. This is an interview with Konstantinovs translated into english.

http://www.lift-run-bang.com/2010/04...tantinovs.html (WFS)