Five Tokyo Olympians, including Olympic and Commonwealth champion Maude Charron, will be part of Canada's 14-athlete weightlifting team at this summer's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
The 14 athletes were chosen based on international rankings which required that they place within the top 10 of the Commonwealth.
The team also includes Boady Santavy, who won silver at the 2021 World Championships and the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. Rachel Leblanc-Bazinet and Tali Darsigny return to the team after winning bronze medals at the 2018 Gold Coast Games.
"As the first crop of athletes to be named to Team Canada for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, it is only fitting that the athletes be a stellar mix of champions, Olympians and rising stars,” Scott Stevenson, executive director of the Canadian team for the Birmingham Games, said in a statement.
“With Canada having won 106 medals in weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games including five medals at the most recent 2018 Commonwealth Games, we anticipate great results from this newly named team.”
Charron totalled 236 kilograms for her snatch and clean and jerk to win gold in the 64-kilogram division in Tokyo. Christine Girard is the only other Canadian female weightlifter to earn an Olympic medal, claiming gold in 2012 at London and bronze in 2008 at Beijing.
Santavy, then 20, made headlines at the 2018 Commonwealth Games when he competed while facing criminal charges related to a hit and run back home. In January 2019, he was sentenced to 90 days in jail after pleading guilty to failing to remain at the scene of a crash. He was also put on probation for a year after his release and prohibited from driving for a year.
The women’s team has qualified athletes in each of the eight available weight categories in Birmingham. The men’s team qualified six athletes.
Weightlifting Canada says it is aiming for four to six medals, including three gold, in Birmingham. The five medals by Canadian lifters, including one gold, at the 2018 Commonwealth Games was good for fifth place in the team standings.
The Canadian team will participate at a pre-Games training camp in Sweden in early June. The weightlifting competition is scheduled for July 30 to Aug. 4 at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre.
Birmingham 2022 will feature 19 sports and eight para-sports with up to 4,500 athletes taking part from 71 countries and territories.
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Canada's Commonwealth Games Weightlifting Team
Women
Hannah Kaminski, Calgary (49 kilograms)
Rachel Leblanc-Bazinet, Richelieu, Que., (55 kilos)
Tali Darsigny, Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., (59 kilos)
Maude Charron, Rimouski, Que., (64 kilos)
Alexis Ashworth, Oungre, Sask., (71 kilos)
Maya Laylor, Toronto (76 kilos)
Kristel Ngarlem, Montreal (87 kilos)
Emma Friesen, Edmonton (87-plus kilos)
Men
Youri Simard, Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., (61 kilos)
Shad Darsigny, Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., (73 kilos)
Nicolas Vachon Saint-Hippolyte, Que. (81 kilos)
Boady Santavy, Sarnia, Ont. (96 kilos)
Pierre-Alexandre Bessette, Saint-Hyacinthe, Que. (109 kilos)
Quinn Everett, Halifax, (109-plus kilos)
Coaches:
Yvan Darsigny, Saint-Hyacinthe, Que.; Dalas Santavy, Sarnia, Ont.; Clance Laylor, Toronto.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 25, 2022
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press