Performance development in Olympic weightlifting across the life span

World Master Championships results for youth, junior, senior, and masters results were used to quantify the performance development in weightlifting for men and women. Peak performance is achieved between 24.5 and 29.6 years of age with a median of 26.3 years. This is similar for men and women. The age-associated performance decline for female weightlifters mirrors the decline for men except for an accelerated decline during a ten year period from the late 40's to late 50's coinciding with the transition to menopausal years. 

A closer look at ages of peak performance in different geographic regions (Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Far East, Middle East, etc.) reveals that the peak age varies. A possible explanation could be that socio-economic factors and availability of public support differ between countries. Athletes may discontinue training at competitive levels due to experiencing life events, such as transition to university, employment status, changes in personal relationships, or financial reasons.

References: Huebner et al. Age-associated Performance Decline and Sex Differences in Olympic Weightlifting. Med Sci Sports Exer 2019 Huebner et al. Performance development from youth to senior and age of peak performance in Olympic weightlifting. Frontiers Physiol. August 2019