TY - JOUR

T1 - Capturing the holistic profile of high performance Olympic weightlifting development

AU - Anderson, Dior

AU - Gottwald, Vicky

AU - Lawrence, Gavin

PY - 2022/9/30

Y1 - 2022/9/30

N2 - Recent expertise development studies have used retrospective recall methodsto explore developmental biographies and/or practice histories of currentor past athletes. This methodological approach limits the generalizabilityand trustworthiness of findings. As such, a gap exists for research exploringkey multidisciplinary features in athlete development using prospectivelongitudinal research designs. The present research aimed to holistically modelthe development of talent in Olympic Weightlifting using such a design. Weobserved the holistic profiles of 29 junior weightlifting athletes longitudinallyover a 10-month period, and subsequently classified six of the 23 athletes ashigh performing based on their performances in competitions up to 12 monthsfollowing the study. This holistic profile was based on a framework of expertisedevelopment themes: (1) demographics and family sport participation, (2)anthropometrics and physiological factors, (3) psychosocial profiling, (4) sportparticipation history, and (5) weightlifting specific practice activities. A summarymodel was produced which selected a critical set of nine features that classifiedgroup membership with 91% average accuracy. Odds ratio calculationsuncovered discriminating features in the holistic profiles of performancegroups, from which empirically derived logical statements could inform thedescription of high-performance attainment.

AB - Recent expertise development studies have used retrospective recall methodsto explore developmental biographies and/or practice histories of currentor past athletes. This methodological approach limits the generalizabilityand trustworthiness of findings. As such, a gap exists for research exploringkey multidisciplinary features in athlete development using prospectivelongitudinal research designs. The present research aimed to holistically modelthe development of talent in Olympic Weightlifting using such a design. Weobserved the holistic profiles of 29 junior weightlifting athletes longitudinallyover a 10-month period, and subsequently classified six of the 23 athletes ashigh performing based on their performances in competitions up to 12 monthsfollowing the study. This holistic profile was based on a framework of expertisedevelopment themes: (1) demographics and family sport participation, (2)anthropometrics and physiological factors, (3) psychosocial profiling, (4) sportparticipation history, and (5) weightlifting specific practice activities. A summarymodel was produced which selected a critical set of nine features that classifiedgroup membership with 91% average accuracy. Odds ratio calculationsuncovered discriminating features in the holistic profiles of performancegroups, from which empirically derived logical statements could inform thedescription of high-performance attainment.

KW - Talent development

KW - Expertise

KW - Coaching

KW - Performance

KW - Machine learning

U2 - 10.3389/fspor.2022.986134

DO - 10.3389/fspor.2022.986134

M3 - Article

VL - 4

JO - Frontiers

JF - Frontiers

SN - 0160-9009

M1 - 986134

ER -