USA Weightlifting has seen increases in its number of athletes and coaches over the past four years. Longtime USAW athletes and coaches say the reason is CrossFit. Andréa Maria Cecil reports.
In four years, the number of USA Weightlifting athletes has grown 30 percent. Meanwhile, the number of USAW coaches has catapulted by 139 percent in the same time period.
“There’s a situation for weightlifting now that has never existed in the 20 years that I’ve been in the sport and that is due to the CrossFit explosion,” said Ursula Garza Papandrea, a senior international USAW coach and technical director of the organization’s board of directors.
“CrossFit is definitely, definitely popularizing Olympic weightlifting. And that is something that is huge for us. It’s making it something that’s relatable to more people. The CrossFit community has been able to bring in way more people than weightlifting ever could.”