Adam Masse impressed in South Surrey last weekend.
The 23-year-old Langley lifter was among those taking part in the 42nd annual Sea Festival Open Olympic Weightlifting Competition June 28-29.
Hosted by the Semiahmoo Weightlifting Club, the IWF-sanctioned event drew roughly 100 competitors in the various weight classes for women and men from various clubs, as well as a few athletes who are not affiliated with a lifting club.
In Olympic weightlifting, there are two disciplines: the snatch (a direct lift over the lifters head) and the clean and jerk (which has a pause at the shoulders before extending the weight over your head).
Lifters are given three attempts in each discipline to obtain the greatest amount of weight on a successfully judged lift.
One of those unaffiliated lifters was Masse, who entered his first competition and competed in the senior men’s 77 kilogram division.
The 77 kg division saw 15 competitors, and Masse not only came out on top in each discipline with a 115 kg lift in the snatch, he also set a B.C. provincial record in the clean and jerk with a lift of 151 kg.
In doing so, Masse out-lifted his closest competitor by 54 kilograms.
Masse’s 151 kg clean and jerk lift broke the record set in May by Richard Kam of Burnaby’s Ultimate Weightlifting.
Kam currently holds the 77 kg snatch and combined records that were set on his way to winning the 77 kg Canadian Senior Championships, which Masse did not attend.
Masse took up Olympic weightlifting about two years ago and is self trained with his good friend and training partner, also a Langley native, Tyler Thistlewaite.
Most days you can find them at Langley’s Campus Crossfit where as Crossfit instructors they are putting athletes through the paces or going through their own personal regimes.
Off to Beijing
Masse’s goal is to develop, become a better lifter, and see where it may lead.
Part of his process is to do some training and learn from some of the best in the world.
For this, he will leave for Beijing China later this month, to spend a few weeks with some of the world’s best lifters, coaches, and top Chinese Olympians.
When Masse returns from China he’ll return to training and most likely preparation for the Kilo Open provincial qualifier in November, and then the B.C. championships in December.
Masse will likely compete in the 77 kg division again and can expect to do battle with Kam for the title, or he will move up to the 85 kg division where he says he feels stronger.