Sweet Baby Jesus

Nothing poignant to say, I just needed to point out the absurdity of the following video...



Pat Mendes trains in Las Vegas out of Average Broz Gym with John Broz. He is 20(!) years old. He snatches 200kg and cleans 240kg - ridiculous numbers for his age. Excuse me, ridiculous numbers for ANYONE. The above squat is so nuts, I don't even know what to say. There are powerlifters out there working towards 800lbs squats while wearing gear and not going nearly as deep. Dude is not human.

The U.S. has not medaled in Olympic weightlifting since Mario Martinez won silver in 1984*. Pat Mendes is our best chance for a medal in 2012 (Kendrick Farris could make a pretty good run in the 85's if he gets his snatch up). Unfortunately, Pat isn't sure if he's going to compete for the U.S. or for Brazil. I was upset about this at first, but really, the U.S. is one of the few countries that does not financially support its athletes. Many athletes working towards the Olympics have full-time jobs, must rely on sponsorships or fundraising, and so on. Not Bode Miller, though. You know that guy couldn't hold a job. I don't want to delve deeper into this whole issue, but I hope Pat represents the U.S. in 2012. If he continues to progress the way he has, he's sure to make a serious impact.



*It should be noted that the Soviet Union and eight other socialist states boycotted the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The results would have been significantly different otherwise.