GLASGOW — The weightlifting competition continued at the 2026 Commonwealth Games on July 29, with Canadians once again looking to bring home hardware. Canada had three athletes take to the stage and came away with two medals — one silver and one bronze.
Men’s 94kg – Alex Bellemarre
Alex Bellemarre, from La Sarre, Quebec, began the men's 94kg competition by posting the highest opening snatch of 155kg. Bellemarre had no trouble with the lift and improved to 159kg on his second attempt, setting a new Commonwealth Games snatch record in the process. On his third attempt, he tried to improve the record to 162kg but was unsuccessful.
With a 3kg lead heading into the clean and jerk, Bellemarre began with a successful lift of 187kg. He was unsuccessful on his second and third attempts at 192kg, but remained in first place with one competitor still to lift. Unfortunately, the Malaysian lifter was able to best Bellemarre, but he still came away with the silver, thanks to a total of 346kg.
“Winning this medal means a lot to me. It is my first Commonwealth Games and to win a medal the first time stepping on that stage is quite nice. I wish I could have won the gold, but I will work on getting better and next time hopefully get the gold.”
Bellemarre was pleased with his snatch performance, particularly his Games record-setting lift. “The snatch went very well compared to what I did in my preparations and at nationals in May. I didn’t think I would get close to 160kg, the 162kg would have been a personal best, post-injury. I thought I would have done better at the clean and jerk, especially now that I am in a heavier weight class, but it wasn’t the case today.”
Women’s 86kg – Rose Beaudoin
Rose Beaudoin, from Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Quebec, began the women’s 86kg competition with a successful lift of 99kg in the snatch. Her second attempt was another good lift at 103kg. Her third attempt was at 106kg, but she was unsuccessful. She was tied for third heading into the clean and jerk.
Beaudoin began the clean and jerk with a successful lift at 124kg. After an unsuccessful second attempt at 127kg, she completed the lift on her third attempt to finish with a total of 230kg. That would turn out to be enough to secure the bronze medal.
“I am really happy and also really surprised, it wasn’t something I was expecting. I am proud to win a medal for my country,” said Beaudoin. “I am happy with my performance today, it was not my best lift, but lifting on a stage that big, in front of a big crowd, I am happy with it.”
Also competing for Canada on the day was Rosalie Dumas, who finished fifth in the women's 77kg competition.
Weightlifting wraps up tomorrow at the Commonwealth Games. Canada's final competitors will be Xavier Lusignan in the men's 110kg and Etta Love in the women's 86+kg. Competition begins at 9:30 a.m. local time.