It was another strong day for Canadian weightlifters on July 28 at the Commonwealth Games as they continued to add to their medal haul. Canada had three athletes in action and finished the day with two gold medals.
Women's 63kg – Maude Charron
Defending two-time Commonwealth Games champion Maude Charron of Rimouski, Quebec, began her competition with a successful 99kg snatch. She improved to 102kg on her second attempt, setting a new Games record. She attempted to set a new Commonwealth record with 105kg on her third attempt but was unsuccessful. Still, she held first place heading into the clean and jerk.
In the clean and jerk, Charron opened with a successful lift of 124kg, reclaiming her own Games clean and jerk and total records, which had fallen earlier in the session. After missing her second attempt at 130kg, she made the lift on her third try, setting new clean and jerk and total (232kg) Games records and, more importantly, securing her third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medal.
"It's a good feeling. The job is done, and it's well done," said Charron after winning gold. "We knew it (winning my third gold) was a possibility, but for me I just wanted to show what my preparation looked like. I did an OK job. I would say I could have done a little more, but that gives me the fire I need to go back to the gym and work harder."
Charron also reflected on her performance and the challenge posed by her closest competitor.
"I performed OK. I did what I needed to do. It was tight right until the end. Sarah (Smale) from England and I know each other well—we've competed against each other many times. I knew she would do something similar (increasing her third clean and jerk attempt to a weight that could have surpassed mine). After missing my second attempt in the clean and jerk, it gave me the fire to make the third attempt and really close the door."
Women's 69kg – Charlotte Simoneau
In the final session of the day, Charlotte Simoneau of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, competed in the women's 69kg event. She opened the snatch competition with a lift of 104kg, immediately moving to the top of the leaderboard. She followed with 108kg on her second attempt, setting a new Games record. Simoneau then attempted a Commonwealth record of 111kg on her third lift but was unsuccessful.
In the clean and jerk, Simoneau opened successfully at 127kg, securing the gold medal while setting another Games record. She wasn't finished there, lifting 132kg on her second attempt to improve her Games record and establish a new Commonwealth record. She finished with a total of 240kg.
"Winning this gold medal feels incredible. The Commonwealth Games are such a major event, so winning a gold medal here is really special," said Simoneau.
She also spoke about setting multiple records during the competition.
"It feels very good. It's not my first record, but every record is special. Knowing my name will remain in the weightlifting record books is something I'm very proud of."
Also in action for Canada was Braydon Kennedy, who recorded a DNF in the men's 88kg competition.
Canada will once again have three athletes in action tomorrow (July 29): Rosalie Dumas in the women's 77kg, Alex Bellemarre in the men's 94kg and Rose Beaudoin in the women's 86kg. Competition begins at 9:30 a.m. local time.
Photo Credit: Dan Galbraith/Commonwealth Sport Canada