Johnston wins gold at lifting meet (with photos)

PHOTO:
Jennah Johnston won Ontario’s only gold in the 69-kilo class. Johnston, a Chippewa Secondary School student, posted a 117.5-kilo total, by way of 52.5 kilos in the snatch and 65 kilos in the clean and jerk.
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MONTREAL — The 27th annual Young Louis Cyr weightlifting championships took place here recently.

The event featured 137 lifters in the youth category, under 16. Teams from Quebec and Ontario and the National squads of the United States and Barbados took part.

The 10-member Ontario contingent featured nine athletes from the North Bay Norsemen and Valkyries teams, along with one lifter from Sharbot Lake.

In the female competition, Jennah Johnston won Ontario’s only gold in the 69-kilo class.

Johnston, a Chippewa Secondary School student, posted a 117.5-kilo total, by way of 52.5 kilos in the snatch and 65 kilos in the clean and jerk.

Sarah Harling of North Bay was second with 95 kilos, and the bronze medal went to Audrey Bellemare of LaSarre Quebec with 80.

Earlier in the competition, Stavrula Liritzis won a bronze medal in the 63-kilo class.

Carrie Snodgrass of the States was the winner, followed by Marie Beauchemin of Quebec.

The most highly competitive weight class of the contest was the 58-kilo division. Kayla Turner of North Bay took sixth place in that grouping with a personal best total of 100 kilos.

The three medals outing was the best ever result posted by an Ontario female team at the Louis Cyr. In the team rankings Ontario placed a close third behind Quebec. The United States squad won the female team title.

In the male portion of the contest, Alex Gale was among the 16 entrants in the 46-kilo class. The Grade nine Chippewa student was successful with 45 kilos in the snatch and 52.5 kilos in the clean and jerk for a new personal best total of 97.5 kilos.

His final tally was good enough for a silver medal behind Frederick Papineau of LaSarre Quebec. The bronze medal went to Nicholas Guillet of Montreal.

There were 15 lifters in the 63-kilo division, including locals Chad Mathieu and Steven Luckett.

Mathieu, the recent Ontario Winter Games winner, managed 67.5 in the snatch and 82.5 kilos in the clean and jerk for a total of 150 and fifth place. Luckett, lifting in his first Louis Cyr, totaled 82.5 for 14th.

Sharbot Lake’s Mat Fraser and North Bay’s Andrew Gallant were among the 15 lifters at 69 kilos. Fraser posted a total of 152.5 and finished just out of the medals in 4th position.

Gallant made 130 kilos and placed ninth.

Ontario’s final entry was Kirt Trahan of North Bay in the 85 plus kilo class. The 14-year-old West Ferris student broke all his own records including 67.5 in the snatch and 87.5 kilos in the clean and jerk. His total was enough to grab fifth spot.

The order of finish in the male team points was Quebec, United States, Ontario and Barbados.