Maude Charron and Boady Santavy named to Canadian Olympic weightlifting team
Charron won a gold medal at Tokyo 2020, but has been forced to change weight classes.
Weightlifting Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee named Maude Charron and Boady Santavy to their Paris 2024 Olympic team on Tuesday, ahead of the Games starting next month.
Charron qualified for Paris 2024 through the International Weightlifting Federation’s world ranking list, in which she is ranked third in the women’s 59kg category. In her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, Charron won the women’s 64kg event after lifting a total weight of 236kg, four more than the silver medallist, and won her second straight gold medal in the event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The women’s 64kg event has been removed from the Olympic program for Paris 2024, however, so Charron has had to transition down to the 59kg weight class. In her first major international competition at 59kg, the 2022 World Championships, Charron picked up her first career world championship medal, a bronze. She won 59kg gold at the 2023 Pan American Championships, before adding a silver at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.
In March, Charron improved won a bronze at the IWF World Cup, lifting a total of 236kg – the same weight she lifted to win Olympic gold, but while weighing 4.36kg less herself.
“I’m thrilled to represent Canada once more at these Olympic Games,” said Charron in a press release. “I’m looking forward to enjoying every moment to the fullest with my coaches, my parents and my friends. We are only two on the team to represent our sport and our country and we will do our very best to make Canadians proud.”
Santavy will make his second Olympic appearance after making his debut at Tokyo 2020. He finished fourth in the men’s 96kg event, missing the podium by one kilogram.
The 27-year-old qualified for Paris 2024 based on his world ranking, receiving a reallocated quota spot after another country was unable to utilize its full athlete quota. Santavy has been forced to transition down to the 89kg weight class after the 96kg event was removed from the Olympic program. Santavy also won a silver medal at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games
He is the second Olympian in his family after his grandfather Bob competed at Montreal 1976.
“Generations of weightlifters have gone before me and I am proud to raise the bar for Canada,” said Santavy in a press release. “I have been through so much to reach the pinnacle of the Olympic Games and I will not let Canada down. I will take the platform in Paris with pride, knowing that my life is my message and my strength comes from a higher power.”
Canadians have won five Olympic weightlifting medals, including the gold won by Charron at Tokyo 2020. Christine Girard is the only other Olympic champion in the sport from Canada, winning a gold medal at London 2012 — awarded years later when athletes who had initially finished ahead of her were disqualified due to doping infractions.
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Weightlifting will take place from August 7 to 11 at the South Paris Arena 6. Charron will compete on August 8, while Santavy’s event is on August 9.
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