Weightlifting Canada Haltérophilie (WCH) and the Canadian Olympic Committee have announced the Team Canada weightlifting athletes nominated to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The athletes are:
Maude Charron (Rimouski, Que.) – women’s 59kg
Boady Santavy (Sarnia, Ont.) – men’s 89kg
Charron qualified for Paris 2024 through the International Weightlifting Federation’s world ranking list, in which she is ranked third in her weight category. In her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, Charron became just the second Canadian weightlifter to ever win an Olympic gold medal. She finished first in the women’s 64kg event after lifting a total weight of 236kg, four more than the silver medallist. In 2022, Charron won her second straight gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. She set Games records in the 64kg event for the snatch (101kg), clean and jerk (130kg), and total (231kg). Her body weight at that time was two kilos less than it was at Tokyo 2020 as she had begun to transition down to the 59kg weight class because the 64kg event had been removed from the Olympic program for Paris 2024.
In her first major international competition at 59kg, the 2022 IWF World Championships, Charron won bronze – her first career world championship medal. She lifted a total of 231kg after hoisting 103kg in the snatch and 128kg in the clean and jerk, all of which were national records for the weight class. A few months later, she won 59kg gold at the 2023 Pan American Championships. After recovering from a knee injury, Charron competed at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, where she won the 59kg silver medal. In March, Charron improved her national records while winning bronze at the IWF World Cup. She lifted 236kg – the same total she had hoisted to win Olympic gold when she weighed 4.36kg more herself.
“I’m thrilled to represent Canada once more at these Olympic Games,” said Charron. “I’m looking forward to enjoying every moment to the fullest with my coaches, my parents and my friends. We are only two on the team to represent our sport and our country and we will do our very best to make Canadians proud.”
Santavy will make his second Olympic appearance, after finishing fourth in the men’s 96kg event – missing the podium by one kilogram – at Tokyo 2020. The 27-year-old qualified for Paris 2024 based on his world ranking, receiving a reallocated quota spot after another country was unable to utilize its full athlete quota. Like Charron, the weight class that Santavy competed in at Tokyo 2020 has been eliminated for Paris 2024, which forced him to transition down to the 89kg weight class.
Santavy, who won a silver medal at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games, is the second Olympian in his family. His grandfather Bob competed at Montreal 1976 and was also named to the Mexico City 1968 team before sustaining an injury.
“Generations of weightlifters have gone before me and I am proud to raise the bar for Canada,” said Santavy. “I have been through so much to reach the pinnacle of the Olympic Games and I will not let Canada down. I will take the platform in Paris with pride, knowing that my life is my message and my strength comes from a higher power.”
Canadian athletes have won five Olympic weightlifting medals, including the gold won by Charron at Tokyo 2020. Canada’s most decorated Olympic weightlifter is Christine Girard, who won 63kg gold at London 2012 after a bronze at Beijing 2008. Both of those medals were awarded several years later when athletes who had initially placed ahead of her were disqualified due to doping infractions. Canada’s first Olympic medal in weightlifting came at Helsinki 1952 when Gerry Gratton won silver. Jacques Demers won Canada its second silver medal in the sport at Los Angeles 1984.
Weightlifting has been included on the program at all but three Olympic Games (Paris 1900, London 1908, Stockholm 1912). In its early days, there were no weight classes, but that began to change at Antwerp 1920. By the 1980s, there were 10 separate events for men. It wasn’t until Sydney 2000 that women first competed in weightlifting at the Olympic Games. There are now five weight classes for each gender.
“Few elite weightlifters have the same attention to detail as Maude,” said Craig Walker, President of WCH. “At every stage of qualification, she showed tremendous focus and adapted to every new challenge thrown her way. We’ll see her at her best in Paris.
“Boady is a fierce competitor. Coming back from elbow surgery, he’ll show what he’s made of at the Games,” added Walker.
Weightlifting will take place August 7 to 11 (Day 12 to 16) at the South Paris Arena 6. Charron’s event will take place on August 8 (Day 13), while Santavy’s will take place on August 9 (Day 14).
‘’Congratulations to Maude and Boady who will represent the Canadian weightlifting delegation in Paris. Maude has exceptional momentum, nothing can stop her in her quest to turn cast iron into gold. She will certainly inspire the next generation of young women to pursue their dreams,‘’ said Bruny Surin, Team Canada’s Paris 2024 Chef de Mission. ‘’I look forward to seeing both Team Canada weightlifters move mountains in Paris.‘’
Team Canada’s weightlifting team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games also includes the following coaches and support staff:
Jocelyn Bilodeau (La Prairie, Que.) – National Team Coach
David Ogle (Vancouver, B.C.) – National Team Coach
Dalas Santavy (Sarnia, Ont.) – National Team Coach
Mac Read (Calgary, Alta.) – High-Performance Manager and Team Leader
Prior to being named to Team Canada, all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Team Selection Committee following its receipt of nominations by all National Sport Organisations.
The latest Team Canada Paris 2024 roster can be found here.
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Mac Read, High Performance Manager
Weightlifting Canada Haltérophilie
E: mread@cwfhc.ca
Tara MacBournie, Program Manager, Sport Communications
Canadian Olympic Committee
C: 647-522-8328
E: tmacbournie@olympic.ca
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