Weightlifting

For many of us who watched the Beijing Olympics of 2008, we were in awe by the many record-breaking feats, the triumphs, the heartaches, and countless stories of the athletes, teams, coaches, and personnel who were a part of one of the most exhilarating Games of all time.

Among one of the stories from last year's Olympics was 23-year-old Marilou Dozois-Prévost, who hails from Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Making her Olympic debut in the 48 kg (for my American neighbors, that's 101.41 lbs) women's weightlifting event, Prévost placed among the top 10 amongst her competitors.

Prévost is no stranger to success, having won the bronze medal in the 2006 Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne, Australia, one of the athletes aiding Canada's efforts to a third-place finish in the medals race.

She may not be a household name in the sporting world yet, but Prévost is certainly an athlete that you may want to keep your eye on in the future.

As you'll see in the interview, she's as conscious and detailed about her sporting career as she is precise and informative in this interview piece.

Through email correspondence, I decided to give my rendition of a 48-kg weightlifting event with the "Tiongson 12-Test", a series of questions aimed to reveal some new insights and details to my interviewees.

All I can say is that Prévost aced the test, no doubt, a mark of her being a truly stout and focused athlete and individual.

She was an absolute delight to interview and it has given me even more respect for her and what she does as a competitor in her sport.

This will be the first of two parts, with the first half of the interview looking into her preparation into her sport as well as some of her reflections of last year's games in Beijing.

Part two will focus on her future in weightlifting as well as some of the more personal look into this sensational athlete.

I hope you'll enjoy getting to know Marilou Dozois-Prévost as much as I did! She is a treat to talk to and hopefully, she'll be a force to be reckoned with in weightlifting and in the sporting world's future.

Rob Tiongson: Starting off that bat, I'm curious...how'd you get into weightlifting?

Marilou Dozois-Prévost: I started lifting totally by pure coincidence. I was bored at school during lunch time and one of my friends at the time dragged me in the lifting room and said it would be fun.

Her friend actually had a crush on a guy there, but we still attempted to lift weight (we had to pretend we were not there for the guy in question).

It was fun and I came back everyday of the rest of the week. The coach there noticed me and started to give me more attention. I had also started to train for real.

I was not just hanging out with my new friends I had made there. There was something attracting for me in weightlifting. Here I thought it was a strength sport, but every time the coach was giving me advice, it was concerning my technique.

I learned to be faster, to have a better balance, to gain flexibility, to be more fluid, and that was it for me. After my first small competition (a month only after starting lifting), I really fell in love with the sport.

Not only was there the training part that I loved, the hard training, the discipline, and the technique, but there was also the thrill of competing, the adrenaline: this sport was made for me.

After two months of training, my coach at the time told me that if I trained hard enough during two years, I had the talent to go to the World Junior Championship in 2002.

We were in the beginning of year 2000 at the time. I trained so hard to make it there, everyday of the week and nine times a week during the summer, when school was off. I finally made it a year earlier than what he expected, in 2001.

After that, I knew I was in this sport to stay. I made really good friends there in my first year, but eventually, they all left the sport. I loved weightlifting too much to let anything stop me from doing it. And I still do.

RT: Now, I read from various online sports outlets, including your hometown "ESPN" in CBC Sports, that you took up gymnastics prior to weightlifting.

That had to be quite a transition to go from a sport where you're literally on the edge every minute to an another sport where you are pushing yourself to the limits with strength and agility. Or was the change from gymnastics to weightlifting a bit gradual than that?
 
MD-P: Hm...I don't know about that gymnastic rumour! I've often been asked if I had been practicing any sport prior to weightlifting and I always said no, beside two years of circus (on an irregular basis).

I did try gymnastic, but I was seven years old and I quit after barely a month of training because I did not like it (I regret it a little now, because I think it's an amazing sport).

So the transition was more from not practicing any sport to training everyday, which was fine, because I wanted to train so much. If I would've been allowed to sleep at the gym, I would probably have lived there!

I have to say, though, that I know many great weightlifters that are ex-gymnasts. The reason is simple: by 12 years old, if you are not an excellent gymnast, you know you probably won't make it to the Olympics.

It just happens that 12 is a great age to start weightlifting and both sports require pretty much the same abilities, such as balance, flexibility, power, agility and a lot of discipline.

I remember watching Tara Nott winning the gold at the 2000 Olympic Games. She had only been training for a few years in weightlifting.

How was she able to do that? Well, I don't know, but I bet her gymnastic background had a little something to do with this great achievement.

Buried deep under the new field house is a room many people have never experienced.  One would go past the track, down the stairs, and through the heavy maroon doors.  Through those doors is a hallway that appears as if it could go on forever.  A hint of music floats from open doors that look like you would need a taxi ride to reach them on the end of the hallway.  Moving closer to the doors, past the life size images of All-Americans Chris Sharp and Jane Kelleher that are mounted on the wall on the right side of the hallway, the music grows louder, and is accompanied by more clatter of noise.

The grunting voices coupled with the clanging of weights are the first indication of what is going on through the doors.  Once through the doors a group appears, covered in sweat and red in the face.  They likely won’t notice anyone who walks in joining them after the long trip to what is the varsity weight room.  Only, Monday through Friday from 7:30-9:15, and twice on Tuesday and Thursday this one particular group isn’t in there hitting the gym for off-season workouts.

This group is recognized on campus the same way ice hockey, rowing, and skiing are-as a club sport.  The Powerlifting club though receives at least one special perk that other club teams do not.  “We are the only club sport allowed to work out in {the varsity weight room},” said club president and founder, grad student Dan Jaffe.

He originally formed the idea of bringing a powerlifting club to the SC campus with sophomore Eric Discko, who serves as the club’s vice president.  “The personal satisfaction of getting the club together, then garnering a following as we have over the past three semesters makes me ecstatic,” said Jaffe.  “I can only imagine the potential a team like this has on a campus such as this. I said to the team at our first lift, we will become national competitors, and do our best to give schools like LSU and Texas A&M a run for their money.  We’ve got the athletes (at Springfield) do it.”

             The club has already started to take steps towards achieving some of that potentially that Jaffe is talking about.  This past November a dozen lifters trekked across the state to the ACS Fitness Center in Abington, Mass to compete in a state powerlifting competition.  The team finished 2^nd overall and had 11 competitors bring medals back to Alden Street. Additionally, the team had three of it’s lifters win state titles at the event.  Allison Bradshaw, Evan Gross, and Mark Bruno each laid claim to a state crown.

            The club plans to continue to grow and compete.  Several it’s members will be competing in an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) event next weekend in Scituate, Mass.  Three members of the team have also qualified for AAU Nationals in Smithfield, RI on April 21^st.  Joining Jaffe at nationals will be Bradshaw as well as Chad Nelson. 

The next time the whole team will enter a meet could be later this year.  Jaffe is hoping that Springfield College can host an event of it’s own, bringing about 300 lifters to gym hidden away in the dungeons of the field house.  “We’re hoping to host right before reading period and give people a chance to vent before they have to crack down,” said Jaffe.

Hosting a tournament could effect the club not only on campus, but on a potentially national and international level.  “It would be through the AAU.  I want it to be a national qualifier and a world qualifier,” said Jaffe.

Having the event on campus would mean that every single one of the club’s athletes would have the opportunity to compete.  Having the more than 40 people on the roster all lifting at a qualifying event would open up greater possibilities of having people earn the right to attend those national and world events, also gaining exposure for the team and school.

Even though the team has athletes capable of competing with the nation’s best, Jaffe made it clear that any one of any skill is level is welcome and encouraged to join the club.  He also pointed out that the lifters comer from a variety of backgrounds.  “The roster is basically composed of half the rugby team, the whole wrestling team, some of the football players, and 20 or so individuals who don’t play a sport (at Springfield College).  We also have lifters of all sizes, ranging anywhere from about 100 lbs to a little over 300.”

The team has been practicing all year.  Practices consist of a warm up to change the core temperature then the team works on movement-specific dynamic flexibility for the various lifting events-squats and bench press are both included in this.  The team also takes part in light plyometrics which help develop joint stabilization, balance, and coordination.  The team then moves to a metabolic circuit, core work, and finishes up with “strong man” type of activities such as the fire-man carry.  Jaffe can easily explain why these athletes go through these rigorous practices day in and day out, and what exactly they get out of it.

“It becomes obvious when someone works their heart out to get what they want, and when others just go through the motions and come up short. People, including other lifters, seem to have a pretty good sense of these things and will respond to it,” he said.  “The camaraderie among both teammates and competitors alike is something I never thought possible. Even at competitions, other lifters will come up to congratulate you after a good lift, ask for advice, or even give some pointers of their own. At the NE Championships (in Abington), every single one of our lifters received huge recognition from all the other competitors.”

For Jaffe and the other 40 or so members of Springfield College’s powerlifting club, making the long journey to the depths of the field house is a frequent one.  The repeated trips past the track and down the stairs, through the doors and along the length of that hallway have already helped the club find some success. 

With any luck, those hallways will soon play host to lifters visiting from other schools for a competition as well as members of the SC community who have competed against the Tigers of LSU and the Aggies of Texas A&M.

If William Shakespeare was correct, and all the world is a stage, then your local health club might as well be Broadway.

I’ve belonged to the same gym for over nine years, and I’ve seen plenty of folks from all walks of life.

If you spend enough time in the gym, you’ll see a handful of different types of people flocking there daily. That’s not to say every member falls into one of those categories. The vast majority don’t.

Believe it or not, most individuals just go to get a good workout and do something healthy for themselves. Novel concept.

Before dissecting the different types of cooks one’s bound to encounter at the gym, let’s first define what exactly is a gym?

And let’s do it by stating what is not a gym.

A gym is not a hard core joint where bench pressing less than 300 pounds will result in the membership revocation.

A gym is not a place where Muffy and Buffy go for a very light workout with a $250/hour trainer. After which, the next three hours are spent on the massage table, receiving a pedi, and getting an exfoliating facial with cucumber wedges before heading home in time for Oprah.

Simply put, a gym is an establishment with all sorts of devices and machines designed to help one lead a more active, healthy lifestyle. It’s inhabited by men and women, young and old, singles and families.

You’ll find an assortment of free weights, weight machines, and all sorts of cardio machines.

Most gyms offer a variety of aerobics classes, too. If the building is big enough, you might even find a basketball court and/or a swimming pool.

Now that we’ve defined what a gym is, here’s a cast of characters that inhabits Any Gym, USA.

The Fat Guy Lifter

This is the guy who’s pre-workout meal consists of a half bag of potato chips—only a half bag; he’s watching his calories—washed down with two liters of Coke.

Needless to say, this man is big. But in the wrong sense.

Yes, he has big arms and a large upper body, but only in the manner that Dr. 90210 looks at him and sees a down payment for ocean front property.

In some cases, the Fat Guy Lifter can actually lift a lot. But, when you put enough mass behind anything, the object is going to move. That doesn’t mean he’s strong. Just don’t try telling him that.

Between sets, he tends to glare at you with a look that says “I know you’re in awe of me because of how much I can bench.”

In actuality, you’re really wishing he didn’t wear that tank top.

The typical Fat Guy Lifter is nothing more than a wanna-be Tough Guy. Speaking of…

 

The Tough Guy

Here we have the main staple of any gym.

Arrogance, thy name is Tough Guy.

Most Tough Guys march around the gym like they own the place.

You see, the primary objective of a Tough Guy is to let everyone else in the gym know there’s a Tough Guy working out.

How does one accomplish such a feat when there could be over a hundred people in the gym at once? Here are a few tricks of the Tough Guy trade.

Tough Guys often slam weights after each set. Most weight plates—free weights and machines—are made of steel, cast iron, or some heavy duty metal.

When you don’t re-rack them normally, they tend to make a lot of noise. A lot of noise.

In fact, slamming a loaded barbell on the floor after dead-lifting will echo throughout the entire building. Trust me. I’ve heard this from the opposite side of the gym far too many times.

Also, Tough Guys love to grunt. It completes them.

Due to strenuous exertion, a lot of people make some type of minor grunt when lifting heavy amounts of weight. Tough Guys take it to an extreme.

Some Tough Guys swear like drill sergeants. We’re talking the four-letter big boys.

And they swear loudly. At any time. In front of anyone. A true Tough Guy’s Tough Guy.

In addition, Tough Guys flock to Hot Chicks like buzzards to a corpse.

If you see a Hot Chick working out, there’s always a Tough Guy within earshot. Because naturally, she’s impressed by an F-Bomb after the Tough Guy has just curled 225 pounds for his 794th rep. Aren’t we all?

Lastly, if you have any questions about whether said character is a Tough Guy or not, here’s the ultimate litmus test.

Look to see if he suffers from I.L.S. (Invisible Lat Syndrome).

The sole symptom of I.L.S. is walking with your arms extended from your sides because your upper body is so big, it’s impossible for them to hang freely.

If you can diagnose a case of I.L.S., you’ve stumbled across a Grade ‘A’, 100-percent Tough Guy.

Steroid Freak

No gym is complete without a few Steroid Freaks.

Because after all, let’s face it. The point of working out isn’t about leading a healthy lifestyle. Not even close.

It’s all about how much you can lift and having the biggest arms, natural or otherwise, in the gym.

Here are a few telltale signs of Steroid Freaks.

Check the hairline. That’s not to say all bald guys are on steroids. Clearly, they aren’t.

But if one has a body that would make Vince McMahon throw a contract at him along with a hairline that’s shrinking faster than the stock market, sounds like X marks the spot.

Look at the chest. If it’s shaped like a round, wooden barrel that Friar Tuck used to imbibe a few spirits from, you’re in business.

There’s also the eye test.

If he’s 6’0” feet tall, works out on a regular basis, and isn’t a fat guy, he should probably be packing around anywhere from 170 to 190 pounds.

But if his frame is supporting around 230 pounds, he’s either a freak of nature (not out of the question) or he’s intimately familiar with needles. Probably the latter.

Another hint. Steroid Freaks tend to congregate together since they share the same habit.

Executive Social Butterflies

While most of the other characters listed here can be found at any time and any day, the peak time to catch Executive Social Butterflies occurs Mondays through Thursdays from 5-7 pm.

For the most part, Executive Social Butterflies head to the gym straight from the office, hence, the time frame mentioned above.

You’re probably wondering why they won’t be found at the gym on Friday evenings since most of the free world works on Friday.

Friday night is martini night with their other Executive Social Butterfly friends, therefore, the gym can wait until Monday.

Alone, an Executive Social Butterfly is harmless.

Combine him or her with two or three other Executive Social Butterflies, and now you’ve got a problem. For example:

You’re just about done with your workout. You have one machine left before you hit the treadmill for a half hour, and then you can call it a day.

But that last machine is occupied. Normally that isn’t a problem because of the gym etiquette most people observe. You’d have to wait a few minutes or the other person will let you work in with him or her.

If the machine is taken by an Executive Social Butterfly, well, “Houston, we have a problem.”

And the problem is this:

The Executive Social Butterfly will do a set. The rest period lasts about seven minutes while he or she chit-chats with the other Executive Social Butterflies standing around the machine.

“Boy Gene, tough day on Wall Street today.”

“Tell me about it, Stew. My stock options are totally in the tank. To make things worse, my BMW is in the shop. On top of that, Buffy told me last night that membership dues at the club are going up.”

“Wow, that’s too bad. Will you and Buffy still be able to afford the ocean front summer home on the Vineyard you’re building?”

“We closed last week. My yearly bonus, while down because of the economy, was still enough for us to buy it outright. Mortgages are for poor people.”

(The Executive Social Butterflies burst out in laughter as they’re oblivious to the economic plight of the rest of the nation.)

Blah blah blah blah blah. This moronic banter continues on and on about topics that the average person doesn’t care about and will never experience. The entire exchange takes approximately 11 minutes. Time for his second set.

Meanwhile, you’re fuming as you contemplate how a 25-pound weight plate would look planted upside each of their heads. You could’ve completed your four sets in the time he talked between his first and second set.

The Hot Chick

She is the female version of The Tough Guy.

While the typical Hot Chick doesn’t slam weights every time she finishes a set, she, like the Tough Guy, craves attention. Attention is her drug.

Hot Chicks manage to garner attention using other methods.

Now, let me issue the following disclaimer: There are attractive women (and men) every where you go, so why is the gym any different?

It isn’t, to a point.

What sets the Hot Chick apart from any other attractive woman working out is that she knows she’s hot, she knows that you know she’s hot, and she knows that you know that she knows she’s hot. And you bet she capitalizes on that.

First requirement of being a Hot Chick is she must be in phenomenal shape. Don’t worry. She will be.

Second, once she has ascertained said body, she’s obligated to show it off. Showing skin has been Hollywood’s secret for years, so why not adapt it to the gym?

The typical Hot Chick outfit involves a spandex sports bra as her top combined with spandex workout pants. This outfit allows for a good nine inches or more of abdominal and back reveal.

The goal of such an outfit is two-fold.

Most guys in the gym rubberneck and drool like babies when they see her and a lot of the other women in the gym glare at her like she’s a boyfriend-stealing hussy.

Just for the record, if you are a man or woman who works hard to stay in shape and wants to show off the fruits of your sweat, I’m all for it. I really am. More power to you. There are too many obese people in the USA as it is.

But just don’t think you’re smarter than the rest of us. You’re not. We know what you’re doing. We’re onto your game. Enjoy the attention you’re seeking.

The Naked Locker Room Guy

I understand that in locker rooms, you’re going to come across naked people. That’s the way it is. But quite honestly, some behavior is completely unacceptable. That being said, there are several ways to identify the Naked Locker Room Guy.

He’s usually a minimum 50 pounds overweight. The fatter, the better.

What’s more, he feels it necessary to parade to and from the shower area carrying his towel as opposed to wrapping it around the heaving pile of lard that protrudes from his waist.

When he returns to his locker after showering, he doesn’t hesitate to perform the straight-leg-bend-over in order to dry his feet. As if anyone else in the locker room ever wants any part of that sight. Come on buddy, cut it out.

He takes an inordinate amount of time to get dressed after his shower. This guy’s body is usually so bad that he’s the last one who should be standing there naked any longer than need be.

Every so often, two Naked Locker Room Guys will come across each other. This is a recipe for disaster.

They’ll stand there and have a conversation totally naked without making any effort at all to get dressed. Again, no one else in the locker room wants to see that. Believe it or not, it is possible to put your clothes on while communicating with another person at the same time.

Such behavior is intolerable and violators should be subject to prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.

My dad once taught me that “it takes all kinds.” He’s right.

So the next time you come across a collection of Fat Guy Lifters, Tough Guys, Steroid Freaks, Executive Social Butterflies, Hot Chicks, and Naked Locker Room Guys, mind your surroundings. You’re probably at the gym.

Enjoy your workout. And feel free to laugh at the scenery.

Perhaps we have come to the point when using steroids to enhance athletic performance should be legalized and regulated.

I know that sounds as crazy as recommending a pardon for Richard Nixon. All I ask is that you follow my reasoning with an open mind.

First of all, it should be established that steroid abuse has been known to destroy lives.

When I was a kid, one of my favorite players was Lyle Alzado. Looking back, he was probably the first well-known steroid user to freely and openly admit that he had played juiced. Alzado was a remarkable physical specimen (6’3”, 260 pounds), and one hellacious football player. Steroids obviously played a part in both of those facts.

Unfortunately, human growth hormone harvested from cadavers killed him. He died of complications from a brain tumor at the ridiculously young age of 43. He had been a steroid abuser since the year I was born, 1969.

I will never forget Alzado's last interviews when he was a shell of himself.

However, we are now beginning to see another side of the steroid story.

After all, just about everyone alive has been given a steroid at some point. If you have ever suffered from any of a myriad maladies that cause hives, swelling, and other fluid retention issues, you were probably prescribed a steroid.

Steroids are used as part of a program to treat breast cancer in women.

Victims of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and assorted respiratory illnesses are given steroids to arrest bronchial inflammation. Decadron? That product is a corticosteroid. Deltasone? Prednisone? The last two drugs are the same product with different names. And they are prescription steroids.

My point is simple: Steroids are not inherently deadly. Just ask Alex Rodriguez. Sorry, I could not help myself.

Baseball and track, in particular, owe much to steroids.

Ironically, due to the abuse of steroids, interest in track had waned by the late 1990s. Enter so-called undetectable designer steroids.

Athletes with the reputation of performing clean such as Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery (among scores of others) began setting records, winning meets, and bringing back fans. Years later, it was revealed, much to their disgrace, that they had used performance enhancers.

Major League Baseball famously overcame labor unrest, player strikes, and general upheaval by putting a product on the field that scored runs in bunches. Field dimensions shrank, players bulked up, homers flew at historic levels, and everyone was happy.

It is quite hypocritical for the powers-that-be who administer the rules in track and Major League Baseball to now relentlessly decry steroid use in their sports. It is impossible to decipher who was clean, past or present.

How many stars were like A-Rod, experimenting with performance enhancing drugs for a period of time only to discontinue the regimen later?

Fans of all sports appreciate seeing the limits of human achievements challenged. Golf clubs are scientifically engineered to provide unprecedented control and power. New and improved tennis rackets guarantee that just about anyone can serve in excess of 100 miles per hour.

While there is a difference between improving a sport's equipment and tinkering with the human body, would steroids be such a terrible thing, if administered with safety in mind?

Purists will say that the records of yesterday will be meaningless. I say that is a huge load of horse chips.

Records are always being artificially manipulated. Who can forget the lively baseball from just a few years ago? Or the dead ball from decades ago? How about the raised pitching mounds of the mid-to-late 1960s?

Performance enhancers of all types are still rampant in modern sports. Only a fool would argue otherwise. Perhaps it is time, therefore, to legalize and regulate them, so that users will not be exposed to tainted products or improper dosages that could kill them.

IFBB pro bodybuilder Victor Martinez was unfairly subjected to a “witch hunt” by an inaccurate article appearing in the New York Daily News.

Sportswriter Christian Red inaccurately reported that Victor Martinez owned the Gurabo Supplement Store in the Dominican Republic when, in fact, Martinez does not have any ownership interest nor does he receive any monetary benefits from the supplement store. Daniel Ferreira, an attorney for Martinez, formally requested a correction in a letter to Christian Red of the Daily News to set the record straight.

Mr. Martinez’s posters are displayed in the store. The posters are for the supplements line Mr. Martinez endorses in the United States. By way of background, Mr. Martinez was invited as a guest poser to an event conducted by the Dominican Bodybuilders’ Federation. The Gurabo store, a sponsor of the event, requested that Mr. Martinez’s appear at the store and promote his supplements line.

Your article somehow bestowed an ownership interest on to Mr. Martinez from the display of his posters of a supplements line from the United States in the Gurabo store. Your story lacks any credible evidence; I am very confident that you were not shown any documentation that supports your blanket assertion that Mr. Martinez is the owner of the Gurabo store.

The “irresponsible reporting” represents the most recent type of witch hunt to target Victor Martinez. In 2007, Martinez was unfairly targeted in another type of steroid witch hunt led by the grandstanding District Attorney David Soares of Albany County.

Soares publicly identified Martinez as an “un-indicted co-conspirator” in the Signature Pharmacy steroid scandal; Victor was never charged with a crime after almost two years. The practice of naming unindicted co-conspirators is frowned upon by many in the legal community and unethical, if not unconstitutional. Attorney Daniel Ferreira decries the behavior of David Soares as part of a pattern of prosecutorial misconduct.

Your irresponsible reporting is the equivalent of the “witch hunt” conducted by the Albany County District Attorney, David Soares in the Signature Pharmacy case. Mr. Soares proudly claimed that Mr. Martinez was an “un-indicted co-conspirator” violating Mr. Martinez’s constitutional rights.

Mr. Soares was widely criticized for his handling of that case and the harm he caused by his prosecutorial misconduct. As widely reported, the charges were dismissed in that case and Mr. Martinez was never charged. To date, Mr. Martinez has not received an apology from the Albany District Attorney’s Office. Your inaccurate article is another witch-hunt.

David Soares’ office has not only failed to apologize to Victor Martinez, but continues to publicly list Martinez’s name and photograph on their website in a diagram of Operation Which Doctor thereby depriving Victor Martinez of his due process rights under the Constitution.

Post from: MESO-Rx Blog

Written by: Millard Baker | Twitter | FriendFeed | Facebook | E-mail

Bodybuilder Victor Martinez Unfairly Targeted by Steroid Witch-Hunt Again

Back on Tuesday, weightlifting wrapped up its Olympics with the men's 105+ kg (231 lbs.)  It was one of the most memorable Olympics for weightlifters, with medal after medal, and world and olympic records shattered one after another.

The men's heavyweight division has given us memorable performances from some of the strongest men to ever walk this planet, and some of the scariest looking.

Russia's Evgeni Chigishev, gold medalist at the 2004 Athens Games, lifted 210 kgs in the snatch to take the early lead, followed by Ukrainians Artem Udachyn (207 kg), Latvian Viktors Scherbatihs (206 kg), and German Matthias Steiner (201 kgs).

In the second round, in the clean and jerk Chigishev put up a lift of 250 kgs (551.2 pounds), giving him a grand total of 460 kgs (1014.2 pounds), which is the equivalent of Team USA's men's and women's gymnastic teams combined, no kidding.

Udachyn lifted 235 kgs, but couldn't raise 241 kgs, and he finished at 242 kgs.  Scherbatihs was able to lift 242 kgs, good enough for third at the time.  In his final attempt he tried to lift 257 kgs to surpass Chigishev for gold, but he was unable.

The final lift came from Steiner, already lifting 248 kgs, which was good enough for silver, he attempted 258 kgs in order to beat Chigishev.

In one final roar, he lifted 258 kgs (568.8 pounds), giving him 461 kgs (1016.3 pounds) and the gold medal.

After lifting the weight for the necessary three seconds, Steiner dropped to his knees in tears of joy, and then began to jump up and down like a little school boy.

Steiner ran over to his coaches and embraced them with tears down his face.

The tears both of joy and of sadness.

On the medal stand, when Germany's Matthias Steiner received his gold medal he proudly displayed a picture. It was of his wife Susann, who had died late last year in a car accident.

While Matthias trained, Susann began to collect and save money so that she could join her husband in Beijing, if and when he made the team.

Afterwards Steiner told reporters, "I thought of her before the competition. I won this for her, for friends and family. But mostly for her. I wish she could have been here to see this, but she is always with me."

Steiner's performance on the field and off truly shows how strong the young German is, both physical and mentally. His story and his triumph is yet another example of the power of the human spirit that is best during the Olympic Games.

By Rachal Fleury

Sally Thomas knew from an early age that she wanted to go to the Paralympic Games one day. She just needed to find the right sport.

After a couple of failed bids to make it in track and field, Thomas turned her attention to powerlifting and is now gearing up for her second Paralympic Games in Beijing, China, from September 6-17.

Powerlifting is a test of upper body strength. Competitors must lower the bar to the chest, hold it motionless on the chest and then press it upwards to arms length with locked elbows. Athletes are given three attempts in total and the winner is the athlete who lifts the highest number of kilograms.

Thomas says one of the aspects of the sport she enjoys the most is that it is based on weight classifications and not on disability. She likes that she is competing against lifters who have more ability than she does. For example, the majority of her competitors have some use of their legs; Thomas has none.

“It’s more of a challenge and I like a challenge,” said Thomas, who lives and trains in Ottawa. “When you win you beat everyone, not just people with your same disability.”

For Beijing, Thomas has set a lofty goal as she is aiming to lift 82.5 kg. Her current best lift is 75 kg.

“I’ve got some work to do,” she said of reaching that weight. “I’m not there yet.”

A life in sport

Thomas got involved in sports as a child after her mom enrolled her to help her overcome her shyness. She took up both wheelchair basketball and track and field, but focused primarily on track. She went on to make the time qualifications for wheelchair racing in the 100m and 200m for the Atlanta and Sydney Paralympic Games and for two world championships, but never made it onto those Canadian Paralympic teams. By 2000, her frustration with her lack of progress was mounting.

“I was close enough that I could smell it,” Thomas said. “But when younger people started making the team and I didn’t, I thought ‘this is silly’.”

In an effort to improve her race times, Thomas started lifting weights. But what was supposed to make her faster actually had an adverse affect.

“I just got worse,” she said. “The stronger I got the slower I got.”

But not all was lost, as through her weight training, Thomas became involved in powerlifting.

“My lifting just got better and better,” she said. “In six months, I had surpassed where I was in track.”

Learning from Athens

In 2004, just four years after taking up powerlifting, Thomas realized her Paralympic dream in Athens. She finished seventh out of eight competitors in her weight class and while she cherishes the experience, she says there are a lot of things she’ll do differently in Beijing.

“I was under the assumption that I would have seen everyone (who would be competing in Athens) so I knew where I stood,” said Thomas. “But then I got there and there were two girls I had never seen before and they were good! That threw me off a bit, but I won’t let that happen again.”

Thomas says she was also distracted by her competitors’ attempts to intimidate her. She says she had people pacing in front of her, glaring at her and pointing.

“I’m just not like that,” she said. “So it was really surprising.”

But it wasn’t Thomas’ competitors that caused her the most problems. She admits that her performance expectations were her toughest challenge.

“A lot of people told me I was going to win a medal and I started to believe it,” she said. “They were saying if I did my best, I would win a medal. Well, I did my best (setting the Canadian record) but I finished seventh out of eight… and the eighth competitor was disqualified!”

Post Beijing

After Beijing, Thomas plans to re-evaluate her progress and potential for improvement before deciding her future in powerlifting.

“I don’t know how much I can progress without putting on a lot of weight,” she said.

For Thomas, putting on weight is a risky option. With no muscle mass in her legs, all the weight she gains goes to her upper body. She has already gained 20 pounds since she started lifting and that has caused her to become “top  heavy”, which results in a lot of falls.

“It puts a lot of stress on my personal life,” she said.

On a positive note, Thomas has recently lost some weight and is still seeing improvement in her lifting.

When she does retire, Thomas will be leaving a sport whose future is up in the air. As the only member of the Canadian powerlifting team, Thomas’ retirement could very well signal the end of the sport in this country.

“The sport is dying,” Thomas said. “Last year, there were three Canadians competing internationally and now there is only me.”

Thomas has tried unsuccessfully over the years to get more athletes involved in powerlifting and says the lack of funding is the main reason no one is interested.

“I foot about half the bill for the meets I go to,” she said. “With no athletes, the sport gets very little funding. With little funding, it’s almost impossible to get athletes. It’s a vicious circle.”

Making the most of it

For now, Thomas’ thoughts are on Beijing. Not only is she hoping to have a better performance than in Athens, she is planning on taking better advantage of the whole Paralympic experience.

“In Athens, I followed the rules to a tee and I didn’t go anywhere before my competition and then got sick afterwards,” she said. “I was in Athens and didn’t even see the Acropolis. This time I am going places. I’m going to China and I am going to see the sites.”

Thomas will be joined in Beijing by her mother and her sister. Her sister, who is filming a documentary on Sally, will be bringing a film crew.

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