by Sylene Argent
Essex powerhouse, 21-year-old Luke Tremblay, made the podium as he earned an overall bronze medal at the recent IPF World Powerlifting Championships, held in Calgary.
On Monday, June 11, Tremblay competed against 12 other athletes, from 11 different countries, in the Junior, 105 kg category.
To earn the overall bronze, Tremblay competed in three categories: the squat (lifting 689 lbs), the bench press (lifting 435 lbs), and the deadlift (lifting 672 lbs).
“I was the underdog” Trembley said of the competition, explaining he won the provincials, which qualified him for nationals. He placed second in his category at the Canada-wide competition, which was disappointing to the local athlete. Typically, an athlete must win at nationals to move on to the worlds, but another athlete got injured, opening a space at the international-level.
“I wanted to prove the point [I belonged there],” Tremblay said. “I let myself down at nationals. I fixed areas I was weak. I put a lot more effort into [training].”
Tremblay maintains a rigorous training schedule, working out six or seven days a week, in addition to working full time.
“It’s well worth it,” he said.
Last year, Tremblay received a fourth at the World Championships. Moving up to the podium felt awesome, he commented. He said it just goes to show, one can achieve what one desires if enough time and energy are applied.
“I’m going to take that and apply it to other things in my life.”
Tremblay has his sights set on winning the junior category at next year’s World Championship and hopes to continue on to win the open division in the future.