Heavy medal for North Bay lifters

The majority of Ontario’s top weightlifters, and a few champions from Quebec, gathered in Orillia Saturday for the 2005 Ontario Open Championship. A total of 14 athletes from the North Bay Norsemen and Valkyries (women’s) team competed, with everyone finishing in the medals. The combined squad won 5 gold, 4 silvers, and 5 bronze medals.

In the women’s competition weight class winners from the Valkyries included : Pascale Poulin at 44, Melissa Ladouceur at 53, and Stavrula Liritzis at 69. Silver medals went to Devyn Crocker at 44, Amanda Mitchell at 53, Daralynn D’Angelo at 58, and Sarah Harling at 69 kilos. Bronze medalists were Bronwynn Sheppard in the 44 kilo class, Celyne Begin at 53, and Alicia Houghton at 75.

In this contest there was a very strange switch of weight divisions by two of Canada’s top junior female lifters. The 48 kilo class was won by Mary-Lou Dozios- Prevost of Montreal ; she is the reigning Canadian Junior Champion in the 53 kilo class. Meanwhile, North Bay’s Melissa Ladouceur won the 53 kilo class and she is the reigning Canadian Junior and Senior Champion in the 48 kilo class. Dozios-Prevost has moved down a division in order to reach carded athlete status and thereby receive financial assistance from Sport Canada. She just recently set new Canadian Junior records in the 48 kilo class with lifts of 71 kilos in the snatch and 89 in the clean and jerk for a 160 total. On Saturday she made 70 and 88. Both Ladouceur and Dozios- Prevost are planning to move back to their original weight classes for the 2006 Canadian Juniors.

At the conclusion of the women’s competition the best lifter age category awards were calculated according to the Sinclair bodyweight formula. Mary-Lou Dozios Prevost was the top junior woman, with Melissa Ladouceur ranked in second. Emily Quarton of Quebec, the winner of the 58 kilo class, was the top senior woman; Kara Yessie of Sarnia was second. North Bay’s Daralynn D’Angelo was named the top master female, with Donna MacDonald of Collingwood second.

In the men’s competition Dan Harling led off for the Norsemen with a bronze medal finish in the 77 kilo class. Harling established a new personal best total of 216 kilos via a 100 kilo snatch and a 116 clean and jerk. Later in the contest Richard Found did lifts of 108 and 137 to finish with a bronze medal in the 94 kilo class.

Chris Lemieux of the Norsemen was the winner in the 85 kilo class. Lemieux made lifts of 107 in the snatch and 138 in the clean and jerk for a 245 total. In the 94 kilo category, Trevor Brown topped the field with a 6 for 6 performance. The 19 year old Brown had best marks of 112 in the snatch and 145 in the clean and jerk. Although both Lemieux and Brown were happy with their gold medals, they were much more pleased to reach the qualifying standards in their respective weight divisions, which will allow them to compete in the 2006 Senior Nationals.

The best male lifter awards followed the medal ceremonies. Trevor Brown was crowned the top junior, while Akos Sandor of Toronto, a 2004 Olympian, took top honours in the senior age group. Sandor, who leaves shortly for the IWF World Championship in Quatar, did 160 kilos in the snatch and 200 kilos in the clean and jerk to win the 105 kilo class. Larry Robinson of Sarnia, the 77 kilo champ, was given the top master award.

The next major championship for the Norsemen/Valkyries will be the 2005 Ontario Junior Championships to be held Saturday, December 3rd at the YMCA of North Bay. This contest will be the last qualifier for those wishing to represent Ontario at the 2006 Canadian Juniors slated for Ottawa.

Submitted to BayToday.ca