I was the shooter that THS was referencing for the nasty El Pres run. New gun, new load, bad knee.
I referenced it indirectly in a different thread. The run felt smooth, but was not fast. I knew the hits were bad.
When I heard the time, my 2002 brain said "Hmm better than I thought." My 2023 brain instantly corrected the 2002 brain with "That was a full second too slow dummy."
I think/hope that this is not a binary or either/or discussion.
The sport does appear to focus less on shooting and accuracy.
AND
Current shooters now are probably better than the state of shooters in 2002, just like shooters in 2033 will be better than the current crop.
Both things can be true.