Local powerlifter Archie Ulry brought home a gold medal last week from the Canadian Powerlifting Championships in Calgary.
He won gold in the 83 kilogram Master 2 division (50 to 60 years old) on Wednesday in the classic powerlifting category. Ulry has been to four national championships and several world competitions in the past – and won a bronze several years ago at the world championships – but this was his first gold at those levels.
“After 23 years of trying, it was great (to win gold),” he said, noting that the training regimen mirrors the actual competition. “I've won lots of golds at the provincial level and western Canadians, but not at a national meet.”
Ulry, 55, set personal bests in the squat lift (418 pounds), bench press (225 pounds), and deadlift (500 pounds) at the competition. He narrowly missed bettering his deadlift best at 512 pounds.
An old snowboarding injury 12 years ago in which he had the C-6 and C-7 vertebrae removed still motivates him.
“The lifting really helped me recuperate,” he said. “Basically, the doctor said if I wouldn't have been powerlifting and weight training, I probably would have been in a wheelchair.”
Ulry said when he goes to a competition, he's mainly focused on bettering his own results and not too worried about what others are doing.
“You have to compete against the other lifters in your category, but usually when I go to a competition … if I can beat what I … lifted in the last competition, that's my main goal and if I get a medal … that's great, but it's all about going higher and higher all the time,” he said, adding there is a good camaraderie in the sport.
The competition ran from April 10 through Saturday.
"After 23 years of trying, it was great (to win gold)."ArchieUlrypowerlifter competitor
