Canadian Weightlifting Federation Announces Team for Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OTTAWA, Ontario, September 17, 2010 – The Canadian Weightlifting Federation and Commonwealth Games Canada today announced the weightlifters that will represent Canada at the XIX Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, October 3rd to 14th.

The Canadian weightlifting team will be led by a trio of female powerhouses who were all silver medalists of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia.

The squad will count on the leadership of Christine Girard (63 kg), participating in her third Commonwealth Games, who finished 4th at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Another medal hopeful, Marilou Dozois-Prévost (48 kg) finished 10th at the Beijing Olympics and was also a silver medallist in Melbourne. Rounding out the trio is Emily Quarton (58 kg), a serious threat in her weight class.

Jasvir Singh (62 kg), born in Karna, India, is also a member of the Canadian team. In 2008, Singh became the first Indo-Canadian in history to represent Canada in weightlifting. Although Singh qualified for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, he was not yet eligible due to citizenship issues. He became a Canadian citizen in time to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where he finished 12th in the 62 kg class.

Singh is now focused on winning a medal at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. “Right now, I am 100 per cent focused. I feel very fortunate,” he says. “I feel extremely proud and happy. These Games will be one of the most memorable competitions of my life.”

Mathieu Marineau (85 kg) earned a gold medal at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune, India. At the time, he declared that his experience in Pune was so fantastic that he wanted to come back to India for the Commonwealth Games. Paul Dumais (85 kg), a 2008 Youth Games gold medallist, is another an athlete to watch. Coach, Pierre Roy, was also a member of the team that travelled to Pune.

“I came away from the National Championships in May totally inspired by these remarkable athletes,” said Team Canada Chef de Mission, Martha Deacon. “We’ve got a group here who’ve proven they can deliver podium performances and I’m excited to see what they’re capable of in Delhi.”

“Canada has been very fortunate to qualify a full team of eight men and seven women in weightlifting at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi,” declared Paul Barrett, President of the Canadian Weightlifting Federation. “These athletes have worked hard to qualify for this prestigious event, and the expectation is that they will be very competitive in their respective categories. I wish the team every success, and remain confident that five gold medals is a distinct possibility.”

The 2010 Canadian weightlifting team is in Turkey from September 17th to 26th to compete at the 2010 World Championships in Antalya. The upcoming London Olympics will be front and centre, as this event is a qualifier for the 2012 Games.

Women’s team

Men’s team

About the Canadian Weightlifting Federation
The Canadian Weightlifting Federation provides a high performance system for athletes, coaches and officials and is the governing body for weightlifting in Canada.

For more information, visit the Canadian Weightlifting Federation’s website at www.canadianweightlifting.ca

About Commonwealth Games Canada
Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC) is the international franchise holder for the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth movement in Canada, and an active, contributing member of the Canadian sport community. The mission of Commonwealth Games Canada is to strengthen sport within Canada and throughout the Commonwealth, by participating in the Commonwealth Games and by using sport as a development tool.

Contacts :

Augustin Brassard
Director
Quebec Weightlifting Federation
Tel.: (514) 252-3046  
E-mail: admin@fedhaltero.qc.ca   

Derek Johnston
Commonwealth Games Canada Communications
Tel.: (613) 837-3377
E-mail : derek@face-value.ca