- also set provincial and national lifting records -
by Sylene Argent
Essex powerhouse Luke Tremblay earned the top position on the competition podium after out-lifting competition during the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships, which took place in St. John’s, Newfoundland on September 21.
Tremblay qualified to compete in this prestigious competition.
While in Newfoundland, Tremblay competed in the Juvenile Division, for 105kg competitors, and earned gold medals in the squat (705 lbs), bench (441 lbs), and deadlift (717 lbs). He also eared the overall gold.
“The main thing, I got to do the best I could and hit personal records,” a humble Tremblay said after returning home after the competition. “I trained hard and made sure I was sleeping and eating right.”
The local athlete did not only mark personal bests, he noted his lifts also set a provincial squat record, and his competition total set a provincial and national record, too.
“It really did feel awesome,” Tremblay said of his competition results. “You’d think I’d feel satisfied. I’m definitely proud. But, I have more motivation to lift more. It makes me hungrier to have more meets like that.”
The Commonwealth competition marked the last time Tremblay will be able to compete in the Juvenile Division as a lifter. He suspects his next competition will be the CPU Nationals, which will take place in Winnipeg this March. He is looking forward to taking part in that competition in the Open Division for the first time.
“I definitely feel ready. I’m excited for sure. There’s even more competition with older lifters,” Tremblay said.
At the Commonwealth competition, Tremblay’s training buddies, Ron Strong and Jerry Marentette of Belle River, also won their categories. He congratulated them on their successes.
“We cheer each other on,” he said.