(Montreal) Maude Charron was the only weightlifter to pass all her tests on Friday, at the Doha Grand Prix, in Qatar. A flawless performance which propelled the Quebecer to two personal bests in her new category as well as a bronze medal in the 59 kg category.
Reigning world champion, Chinese Luo Shifang won gold with a cumulative weight of 247 kg. North Korean Kim Il Gyong finished second with 243 kg, 10 kg more than the Canadian.
Charron came to Qatar with the goal of improving her ranking in the Olympic qualification process. Something she had not attempted since last March due to a knee injury.
She also had to withdraw from the World Championships this summer as a precaution. Six athletes from the top 10 in the world in their category took advantage of this event to sign their best performance of the qualification process. The weightlifter from Rimouski then moved to 7th place with a cumulative weight of 225 kg, tied with Rafiatu Folashade Lawal, from Nigeria.
With a silver medal obtained at the Pan American Games in Santiago, she was excited about the idea of demonstrating all her progress on the international scene.
“I was looking forward to it and felt like I had gained strength since Chile. Having six out of six, you can’t ask for more! My injury played a huge role in the preparation for my last competitions. It’s encouraging to see that I’m still able to present myself and perform well,” Maude Charron told Sportcom.
“The goal was to improve my ranking and secure my place at the Olympics before even winning a medal. I didn’t want to make my knee worse either because I want to be healthy for Paris 2024. Finally, I can check all the boxes! »
His first two snatch attempts, 98kg and 101kg, were a formality. This success meant that she did not have to take unnecessary risks to improve her ranking.
Her last pass was successful at 104 kg and gave a smile to the Quebecer, who let out a slight cry of satisfaction as she left the platform. She had just set a personal best, which also turned out to be a Pan-American record in the snatch.
This scene was repeated in the clean and jerk when she managed to lift 129 kg at the end of the competition. You could see the joy on the Olympic champion’s face even before she dropped the bar at her feet, even though it wasn’t the weight she expected to lift when she stepped onto the platform .
“I like round numbers! » said the woman who expected to lift 105 kg in the snatch and 130 kg in the clean and jerk on Friday. The judicious choice of his trainer instead stopped at one kilogram less in both movements. What is necessary, in other words.
“I was ready for more, but we made the right choices by setting personal bests instead of risking round numbers! » she added, laughing.
Her total of 233 kg put her among the top five in the world in the 59 kg category, where the caliber is particularly high and where the slightest mistake can quickly change things.
Since the withdrawal of certain categories, three Tokyo Olympic champions have been included, namely Maude Charron (64 kg), Hsing-Chun Kuo (59 kg) and Hidilyn Dias (55 kg).
“I might be biased, but I think we have the best category! We’re seeing more and more girls doing 100kg in the snatch, which is huge for our weight. They can all make good bars, but there you go, I can make some too! It was fun to get on the podium with them,” concluded Charron, in an excellent position to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games.
The Doha Grand Prix continues this weekend. Sunday, Quebecer Alex Bellemarre will be in action in the under 89 kg category.
