SASKATOON, SK – May 22, 2024 – Sixteen-year-old Etta Love from Saskatoon has earned the top spot at the Youth World Olympic Weightlifting Competition for those under 18 in Lima, Peru.
Etta broke a 20 year old Canadian Senior Clean and Jerk record by lifting 138kg resulting in her 243 kg in total and becoming Youth World Champion.
“This is my last year as a youth, and I’ll be going for youth world records in September at the World Juniors,” said 17-year-old Love. Those records, 110-145-255, were set by the Paris medal contender Park Hyejeong from Korea in 2019.
Etta stood out, lifting 24kg over the silver medalist to take home the gold medal, marking her as a leading figure in Olympic weightlifting. Her dedicated practice has placed her among the top talents in the sport.
“I’m so thankful for the support from my family, coaches, and everyone in my community,” Etta shared after winning. “This is a huge deal for me. It feels incredible to represent our town and Canada on such a big stage. While it often looks like these competitions are the hard work, they are actually the reward for me.”
Etta wants to raise the profile of women in weightlifting. She says “Women were only allowed to compete in the Olympics for weightlifting starting in 2000. I’m looking forward to what’s next and hope I can be an example for other young girls.”
Weightlifting is an underfunded sport – especially for women. Etta has missed competitions in the past for financial reasons, but she is determined to raise the money she needs to break world records this year.
Etta will travel to Leon, Spain, in September for the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) JR (u21) World Championships and then the IWF Senior World Championship in Manama, Bahrain, in December 2024. At these events, she plans to break junior and senior world records, respectively.