From a biography found on https://www.greatestphysiques.com/male-physiques/christ ian-thibaudeau/

"After years of hard work and effort, Christian managed to build a strong and well-built physique. He also learned a number of new techniques which he gradually incorporated into his routine.

"One of these exercises was the dead lift. He knew how useful the dead lift could be for bodybuilding, but he also knew that it was a popular movement for Olympic lifts. It was this knowledge that led him down the path to Olympic competitions."

Hmmmm.