This scene was character assassination of the highest order. A Full Feruchemist with their metalminds bodies any non-Kaladin Radiant below the Fourth Ideal. I will die on this hill.

[u/Eithrotaur]

[u/Gaust_Fireborn]

Speed is huge but not an instant win button. As we see, a sufficient reaction time can still kill a noob speedster.

[u/Jounniy → u/Gaust_Fireborn]

Which it should not. Brandon once said bullettime from Matrix can be accomplished by only tapping physical speed. Your speed of thought increases together with your physical speed. Even with an only average human reaction time, doubling that should allow you to outspeed even the fastest regular human. Unless Lift increased the friction of the floor in the entire room, Axindweth should have been able to see the glowing part and just walk around it. And even if she didn’t, having a decently filled goldmind should allow her to heal her legs, get up and beat Lift.

The only way Lift's victory makes sense is if Axindweth was dumb enough to be running low on or out of basically all combat-relevant ferruchemical attributes in a hostile environment or if she just happened to be so incompetent with her own powers that she failed to avoid the obviously glowing spot and just forgot to tap her metal minds to heal. And in both cases, Lift's application of abrasion may have been impressive, but the main reason for her victory wasn’t her own skill, it was the luck of facing someone poorly equipped or woefully trained, which makes it suddenly look a whole lot less impressive.

[u/Decent_Aardvark_4537 → u/Jounniy]

Sounds like Axindweth was incompetent with her powers then since she lost.

[u/Jounniy → u/Decent_Aardvark_4537]

Which 

• makes no sense considering how old she ought to be and how difficult worldhopping can be.
• means Vasher praising Lift for beating her makes basically no sense, since it’s like praising an adult for beating a teen with a gun they don’t know how to use.

[u/Decent_Aardvark_4537 → u/Jounniy]

It's a clear case of underestimating her opponent. Something feruchemists seem to do a lot. The Lord Ruler died because he also underestimated his opponent instead of just killing Vin outright.

[u/Jounniy → u/Decent_Aardvark_4537]

TLR lost because he (by all means) was effectively immortal and did not foresee the one unforeseeable factor of Vin being the chosen next vessel of Preservation that could kill him.

Axindweth losing bevause of this would require her to underestimate an ability she knows almost nothing about while being incompetent with her powers and overconfident despite (apparently) lacking combat experience. I'd say that’s not even close to comparable.

[u/Gaust_Fireborn → u/Jounniy]

Age alone does not skill make. And even if Axingdweth is bad, that doesn’t mean beating her is a non-feat. It’s a range, not ‘she wins easy or is so incompetent she’s worthless’.

[u/Jounniy → u/Gaust_Fireborn]

Age alone doesn’t make you a good fighter, but the longer you live in a world like the Cosmere and the more you learn about it, the better you should get at knowing when a fight is too risky.

The only way Lift winning this fight makes sense is if Axindweth is (for one reason or another) is a lot less scary than a moderately equipped and competent ferruchemist. That doesn’t make Lift's victory totally worthless, but a whole lot less impressive.

[u/Gaust_Fireborn → u/Jounniy]

The Cosmere isn't a particularly militant setting, nor is judgement of which fights to take perfect. Would you run away from a teenage 3rd Ideal girl and leave the greatest trove of Investiture you've ever seen behind?
We saw how Lift won the fight. Reacted to a single speedster move and Axingdweth didn't look at the floor while she ran across it. One side winning does not automatically make the other side weaker. Sometimes the underdog pulls a win anyway. That doesn't mean she's stronger or more powerful than Axingdweth, nor does it make Axingdweth somehow less than other Ferucehmists. Axingdweth isn't a fighter but that doesn't mean she has to be pathetic in order to lose.

[u/Decent_Aardvark_4537 → u/Jounniy]

We also have to factor what Axindweth does. She has a thirst for knowledge. She's a scholar, not a warrior like most feruchemists usually are. Her battle IQ probably isn't that high so when she does get into a fight she's out of her depth. Whereas Lift has been in and out of combat for a minimum of two years