RATE OF SUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS OF FEMALE WEIGHTLIFTERS ON THE 2024 EUROPEAN WEIGHTLIFTING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Abstract

The results achieved in official competitions are of fundamental importance in the process of control and assessment of the overall training preparation of elite athletes as a source of feedback information. The struggle for the top places often puts competitors under tremendous psychological and physiological pressure.  In Olympic weightlifting, this struggle is particularly intense in events where athletes of similar potential and preparedness compete, especially in first attempts or attempts that can potentially determine the final ranking.  Unsuccessful attempts can often cause competitors to underperform or drop out. Purpose. The purpose of the study was to analyze the rate of successful attempts of female weightlifters on the 2024 European weightlifting championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. Methods. The attempts of 177 female weightlifters in 10 weight classes were recorded and statistically analyzed. The rate of successful attempts was estimated – overall and stratified by attempt number. Results. The overall rate of successful attempts for the snatch and clean and jerk was similar (with insignificant differences) for all studied weight classes – about 55%. Nearly 45% of athletes either failed in their first attempts or refused further attempts. For both competitive exercises, the highest success rate was measured in the first attempts, followed by second and third. After stratifying results by competitive exercise, we found a 2% lower rate of successful attempts in the clean and jerk compared to snatch. Conclusion. In our opinion, pre-competition reduction of body mass and/or accumulated fatigue during the preparation is the main reason for the lower rate of success in the clean and jerk. In addition, the early specialization of weightlifters may also be a factor, as it affects the overall pace of reaching high sports mastery and performance during the years of training and preparation for Olympic, World or European championships.