Alex Bellemarre of Poularies, Quebec won a bronze medal for Canada on Tuesday in men’s weightlifting at the 2017 Summer Universiade in Taipei, Taiwan. Bellemarre lifted 316 kilograms to take third spot.
Bellemarre lifted 147 kilograms in the snatch and 169 kilograms in the clean and jerk for a total of 316 kilograms. Aidar Kazov of Kazakhstan won the gold medal with a total of 331 kilograms (145 kilograms in the snatch and 186 kilograms in the clean and jerk). Viacheslav Iarkin of Russia won the silver medal with a total of 330 kilograms (150 kilograms in the snatch and 180 kilograms in the clean and jerk).
Bellemarre won the bronze medal by five kilograms. Jaber Behrouzi of Iran finished in fourth place with 311 kilograms (140 kilograms in the snatch and 171 kilograms in the clean and jerk).
A student in Canada, Bellemarre attends Cegep de l’Abitibi-Temiscamingue in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. Bellemarre first made headlines in 2014 when he won the gold medal at the 2014 Canadian Junior Weightlifting Championship in Scarborough, Ontario. The bronze medal for Bellemarre at the 2017 Summer Universiade is a strong stepping stone for him in his quest to make the Canadian Olympic weightlifting team at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
It was Canada’s fourth medal at the 2017 Summer Universiade. Canada now has one gold medal, two silver medals and one bronze medal.
