Capitol News

The 2024 Paris Olympics, scheduled from July 26 to August 11, present a challenge in identifying the best weightlifter due to variations in body weight and age among competitors. Marianne Huebner, director of Michigan State University’s Center for Statistical Training and Consulting and a professor at the College of Natural Science and the College of Education, is addressing this issue through her research and experience as an internationally competitive weightlifter.

Huebner explains that Olympic-style weightlifting performance is defined by the 'total' or 'two-lift total,' which sums the best of three snatches and the best of three clean and jerks. The snatch involves lifting the weight from the floor to overhead in one continuous movement, while the clean and jerk is a two-part lift: first to the shoulders, then overhead. These lifts are judged by referees under uniform rules for all participants.

Men generally lift more than women, and heavier athletes tend to lift more than lighter ones. Efforts have been made to standardize performances across body mass for comparison purposes; however, existing models fail to address sex differences adequately.

"The International Weightlifting Federation’s (IWF) program of modernization with new types of events such as street weightlifting and mixed team competitions call for new point scores that enable comparison across body weight, age, and sex," Huebner states.

Statistical models play a crucial role in comparing performances across different categories. By analyzing data from previous Olympics and World Championships, it is possible to determine who ranks as the top athlete. "A point-scoring system that helps scale performances can help athletes and coaches understand their relative rankings or help nations with team selections," Huebner adds.

Huebner's recent research with Tim Cole at University College London led to developing generalized additive models adjusted for sex (GAMX) points. This approach scales performances by body weight on a unified scale for both men and women using competition results from IWF World Championships and Olympic Games between 2017-2023. GAMX points facilitate awarding mixed teams in competitions.

Additionally, increased participation by women has provided more data for making appropriate comparisons within the sport. "Women’s weightlifting is booming," says Huebner. "At the USA National Championships, more than half of the athletes competing are women."

The upcoming Paris Olympics will serve as a source of data to test these statistical models further during its scheduled August 7-11 weightlifting competition.