Canada’s Maude Charron wins silver in women’s 59-kg weightlifting

Canada’s Maude Charron has taken home a silver medal in women’s 59-kilogram weightlifting in Paris.

She lifted 106kg in the snatch and 130kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 236kg to win Canada’s 20th medal at the Paris Games.

China’s Luo Shifang, the reigning world champion, won gold with an Olympic-record total of 241kg (107 snatch and 134 clean and jerk), while Kuo Hsing-Chun of Taiwan, the defending Olympic champion at 59kg, won the bronze with a total of 235 kg (105 snatch and 130 clean and jerk).

Charron attempted a final clean and jerk of 132kg, the highest weight she had ever attempted, but was unable to complete it.

The Canadian won Olympic gold in Tokyo at 64kg, but that weight class wasn’t on the schedule in Paris.

As one of the country’s flagbearers at the opening ceremony, the 31-year-old Charron won bronze in this weight class at last year’s world championships.

Charron holds multiple Canadian weightlifting records. She developed a reputation for her technical proficiency in the snatch, clean, and jerk lifts, which are critical components of competitive weightlifting.

With Charron’s podium appearance, Canada now has six gold, five silver, and nine bronze medals as of Thursday.

With files from The Canadian Press