Samuel Guertin said he was half satisfied with his performance at the World Weightlifting Championships on Sunday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In Group C under 81 kg, Guertin lifted 140 kg in the snatch and 177 kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 317 kg, good for first place in his group.
If he is happy with the result in the clean and jerk, the athlete from Candiac believes that he could have done better in the snatch, which explains part of his disappointment, he who would also have wanted to succeed in all his attempts of the day.
“In the snatch, I failed my first attempt at 140 kg, when I know I can easily lift 145 kg normally. I succeeded the second time, although it was quite difficult. I wasn’t able to lift 300 pounds on my third try and that frustrated me a little. »
Despite everything, Guertin broke his personal best in international competition in the clean and jerk and with his total score, he who participated in the World Championships for the second time in his career.
Even if the day did not go quite as he had hoped, the Quebecer admits to having had an extraordinary experience in Saudi Arabia, having not left the Americas for a competition for a very long time. a long time.
“It’s been a long time since I competed with such a big time difference, and I think I also experienced a little culture shock when I arrived here in Saudi Arabia. From my hotel room, I heard calls to prayer around 4 a.m. each morning. We’re not really used to that and it takes me out of my comfort zone,” Guertin said with a laugh.
Athletes in Groups A and B in the under 81kg category will be in action on Monday, September 11, in Riyadh.
“I should go to Qatar in December and there are the Pan American Championships in February 2024 in Venezuela, but we don’t know yet if Canada will be there. Moving forward, I want to train like I’m trying to qualify for the Olympics, but I’m not really aiming for qualification. I’m going to put more energy into the next Olympic cycle,” concluded the 23-year-old athlete.
Earlier this week, Youri Simard totaled 258 kg in the under 61 kg category, which gave him 29th place in the category.
For his part, Nicolas Vachon took part in the under 73 kg contest, but could not obtain a ranking. The weightlifter from Saint-Hippolyte lifted 133 kg in the snatch, but was unable to complete one of his three attempts at 172 kg in the clean and jerk.
On the women’s side, Rose Harvey only took part in the clean and jerk in the under 55kg category, where she lifted a bar of 103kg in Group B.
The last Quebecer competing in Riyadh, Alex Bellemarre will try to stand out in Group B of under 89 kg on Monday. Note that these World Championships are one of two mandatory competitions in the new Olympic qualification process which will lead the 10 best athletes in each weight category to Paris next year.
