GLASGOW — Weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games drew to a close on July 30 with the final two Canadians in action. Xavier Lusignan (men's 110kg) and Etta Love (women's 86+kg) looked to end Canada's competition on a high note when they took to the stage. That is exactly what the duo did, as they both earned bronze medals.
Men's 110kg – Xavier Lusignan
The final Canadian man in action was Xavier Lusignan, from Mansfield, Quebec, competing in the 110kg weight class. Lusignan opened the competition with a successful 159kg lift in the snatch. His second attempt at 163kg was unsuccessful, as was his third at 165kg. Despite the missed lifts, Lusignan found himself tied for third heading into the clean and jerk.
Lusignan made his opening clean and jerk attempt at 197kg before missing his second at 206kg and his third at 209kg. He finished with a total of 356kg, good for third place, but had to wait as one remaining competitor still had the opportunity to overtake him for the bronze medal.
The Samoan lifter attempted 210kg on all three clean and jerk attempts but was unable to complete the lift, securing the bronze medal for Lusignan.
"You don't want anyone to lose like that. They were a bit too greedy and that ended up being their downfall, and we got the bronze," said Lusignan. "Winning my first Commonwealth Games medal feels great. Obviously, we were here for a bigger performance. We had bigger aspirations in mind, but I can't be mad about winning the bronze medal."
Women's 86+kg – Etta Love
Canada's final lifter was Saskatoon's Etta Love, who took to the stage in the women's 86+kg division. Love started with a successful snatch of 102kg and improved it to 106kg on her second attempt. She went for more on her third lift but was unsuccessful at 109kg, leaving her fourth after the snatch.
In the clean and jerk, Love began with a successful lift of 136kg. She then successfully lifted 140kg on her second attempt before topping that with 144kg on her third. That brought her total to 250kg, which was good enough to secure the bronze medal.
"Winning this medal is wonderful and meaningful to me. The Commonwealth Games have been an incredible experience, and it is an amazing way to end the week," said Love. "The thing that I value most about myself as a competitor is that I am very competitive. I made the lifts that were important, but there is a lot of room to grow. I am excited to see what the next months bring."
That concludes Canada's weightlifting competition at the Commonwealth Games. In total, Canada won eight medals (two gold, two silver and four bronze).