On Saturday the Sabaria Weightlifting Club of Oakville played host to provincial junior weightlifting finals. There were 19 clubs represented, and medals were awarded in six female and eight male weight divisions. Seven lifters from the North Bay Norsemen and Valkyries took part and the club finished with three trips to the medal podium.
Emma Mondor and Vanessa Gagnon of the Valkyries were gold medal winners in the 63 and 69 kilo female classes, respectively. Mondor, made 45 kilo in the snatch and 57 kilos in the clean and jerk for a total of 102 kilos. Gagnon, meanwhile succeeded with 72 kilos in the snatch and 83 in the clean and jerk.
By virtue of her 155 kilo total, Gagnon secured a spot on the Ontario junior squad. The team, made up of the top five females and seven males in the province, will compete on at the 2016 Junior Nationals on January 16 in Regina, Saskatchewan.
The Valkyries had one other female competitor. Zara Sheppard lifted in the hotly contested 58 kilo class and placed fourth. The fifteen year old Sheppard made 46 kilos in the snatch and 59 kilos in the clean and jerk for a total of 105.
In the male portion of the competition, the Norsemen had two lifters in the 77 kilo class. Sean Pulyk had a strong outing and managed 75 kilos in the snatch and 95 in the clean and jerk. Pulyk’s aggregate of 170 kilos was good enough for fifth place in the division. Meanwhile, Kaelan Mathon snatched 62 kilos and clean and jerked 80; his 142 total placed him seventh.
Dylan Hall-Archibald was the youngest athlete in the 85 kilo class. The 13-year-old broke his personal records with best marks of 45 in the snatch and 59 in the clean and jerk. Hall- Archibald finished in eighth position in his category.
In the next weight class up, 94 kilos, Caleb Mady had a perfect series of lifts making all six attempts. Mady, a Nipissing University student, made 77 kilos in the snatch and 90 in the clean and jerk. His total of 167 kilos earned him a bronze medal.
The best lifters of the day, were female 58 kilo champion Jessica Jean of the Toronto Weightlifting Club and 62 kilo male champion Nickolay Alexandrov of the Varbanov School of Weightlifting, also in Toronto. The Toronto Weightlifting Club won the team pennant by scoring 174 points. The Norsemen and Valkyries were second with 160 points; the Victory Barbell Club of Belleville was third with 110 points.
The first medal for the Canadore Panthers went to Raffi Yousefi in the 69 kilo class. The 19 year old won a bronze by snatching 76 kilos and clean and jerking 93 for a total of 169. The gold went to Daniel Frankel of Toronto, the silver to Noah Santavy of Sarnia.
In the next weight class up, 77 kilos and under, Brett Sontag of the Panthers took the gold with a total of 232. Sontag snatched 102 and clean and jerked 130. Then, in the 94 kilo class, Norsemen lifter Matt Jemmet put up a great total of 221 to take the silver. Jemmet, a Nipissing University freshman, made 101 in the snatch and 120 in the clean and jerk.
Saturday’s contest marked the end of the six month selection period for the twelve member provincial junior team. Ontario will sending five females and seven males to the 2015 CWHFC Junior Nationals, slated for Winnipeg on January 16th.
Included on the female team will be 53 kilo hopeful Bronwynn Sheppard.
Courtesy of: Bay Today