Some of the nation’s strongest athletes will be in Midland next weekend for an Olympic weightlifting competition at the North Simcoe Sports and Recreation Centre.
Over 160 athletes, with families and coaches, will be arriving for the July 15-16 competition that will feature age groups between 30 through 85-plus in two types of dynamic overhead lifts: the snatch and the clean and jerk.
“We were thrilled when we won the bid to host such a prestigious event here in Midland,” said Joanne Jeffrey of event host Driven. “Normally the event is granted to large cities.”
Previous events were held in Moncton in 2022, Winnipeg in 2020, and St. Thomas, Ontario in 2019.
“For some athletes this will be the final event in their competition season and for the elite it will be a stepping stone to the world championships being held later this year in Poland,” said Jeffrey. “Last year Driven sent three athletes to the world championships in Orlando and they placed second, fourth and fifth in their divisions. Midland is definitely on the map in terms of Masters Weightlifting.”
Expected to compete at this year’s event are 14 local athletes who train at the host location in Midland.
The event is scheduled to begin on July 14 at 1 p.m. and continue until July 16 at 4 p.m. at the North Simcoe Sports and Recreation Centre at 527 Len Self Blvd. Spectators are welcome.
Further event details are available here.
