Ladouceur, Brown win gold

MONTREAl — Two weightlifters from North Bay picked up gold medals in the 2003 Quebec Open junior weightlifting championship here on the weekend.

Melissa Ladouceur of the Valkyries, the current Canadian junior women’s champion and Trevor Brown of the Norsemen, another of the top ranked junior male lifters in the province, were first in their division.

The 10-member Ontario squad included eight lifters from the Valkyries/Norsemen.

Most of Quebec’s major community weightlifting clubs were in attendance, as well as teams from Vermont, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

Brown and Ladouceur far outpaced the fields in their weight classes.

Ladouceur, the gold medalist at 48 kilos, snatched 52.5 kilos and clean and jerked 62.5 to register a 115 total.

The second and third-place finishers totaled 87.5 and 70 kilos.

Brown, meanwhile, had record-breaking day in the 94-kilo division.

The 17-year-old St. Joseph-Scollard Hall student lifted 102.5 kilos in the snatch and 130 kilos in the clean and jerk for an aggregate of 232.5 kilos.

The other medalists at 94 kilos were Pat Lessard of Montreal with a total of 217.5 and Jocelyn Marineau of Lachute with 195.

Natalie Williams of the Sarnia Fury club won Ontario’s other gold medal in the female over 75-kilo class.

Ladouceur, Williams and Brown are now favoured to win gold medals at the 2004 Canadian Juniors slated for Lachute, Que. Jan. 24.

Ontario’s only other place winner was Norsemen Jason Partridge in the over 105-kilo class.

Partridge snatched 97.5 and clean and jerked 120 to finish third with 217.5.

The weight class winner was Ben Fuller of Vermont with an astonishing 300 kilo total and Carl Silverwood of Montreal was second with 240 kilos.

Silverwood turns 20 in 2004, so, much to the relief of Partridge, he will not be eligible to lift at the junior nationals.

Other Ontario placings: Megan Marcella, Valkyries, fifth, 58 kilos, Dan Harling, Norsemen, fifth, 69 kilos, Kayla Turner, Valkyries, ninth, 58 kilos, Adam Carr-Braint, Apollo-Belleville, 12th, 69 kilos, George Liritzis, Norsemen, 13th, 77 kilos and Theo Liritzis, Norsemen, 14th, 69 kilos.

The 2003 Ontario junior championships are at the North Bay YMCA Saturday, starting at 5 p.m.

Apart from provincial titles in the various weight classes, the athletes will be competing for the final spots on the Ontario junior squad.

The representatives, four females and six males, are selected according to Sinclair formula ratings. The Sinclair ranks lifters according to bodyweight and total.

Brown, Partridge, and Harling have secured spots on the male team, leaving three to be decided.

Ladouceur, Marcella, and Williams, by virtue of recent showings, have already made the female team, so only one position remains to be settled.