gained strength

[ironman2012]

Hi,

“The recovery in international patent filings that we saw in 2010 gained strength in 2011,” said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry.

(This comes from wipo.int International Patent Filings Set New Record in 2011 in Geneva on March 5, 2012.)

Does the blue part mean "the recovery continued in 2011" or "the recovery sped up in 2011"?

Thanks in advance!

 

[lingobingo]

The recovery gained strength = it became stronger

You can think of it like a person gaining strength as part of their recovery from an illness — starting to get back to normal.

 

[kentix]

I would think in that context it means the number per month increased beyond the level of the previous year.