2023-07-23 04:00:00
For a few days, The newspaper will present to you the portraits of former glories of their sport who remain as passionate as ever, even if they have now reached the milestone in 70 or even 80 years.
At 89, Marcel Perron is still as passionate regarding weightlifting, a sport he has been practicing since he was 15 years old. He left his home in the Montreal district of Rosemont, took two buses and went to train in Saint-Léonard. It already gives an idea of dedication.
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The ever-quick-witted man spends his weekday mornings at Progym on Boulevard Langelier, a place he’s frequented for fifteen years and where The newspaper the encounter.
“I train five days a week, three hours a day. Some people come here, they do an exercise and they spend 15 minutes on their cell phone. I tell them to leave it at home, that they are here to practice.
“Me when I do three hours, it’s a real three hours!” he says with a smirk.
When he became an orphan
It is the passion that makes Mr. Perron go to the gym every morning of the week. He even went there on Saturdays not so long ago.
“It’s part of my life. I’m injured all over the place and that doesn’t prevent me from training. I like this sport because it is explosive.
It’s a bit of life that led him to weightlifting, a sport he learned on his own.
“In 1948, I became an orphan, I was placed in Mont-Saint-Antoine. There were weights so I started training for fun. There were 248 pounds and only two of us might lift it at arm’s length.
“I had no style and technique, we lifted as we might. I’ve never had a coach in my life.”
Photo Dave Levesque
He nevertheless specifies that he had a good helping hand from Serge Chrétien, a friend who trained Maude Charron, the Rimouskoise who won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Close to the Olympics
Marcel Perron himself came close to participating in the Rome Games in 1960.
“The guy who went there, I lifted more than him in training, but the day of the competition, it didn’t work for me,” admits without a shadow of regret.
He continued competing until 1976 before taking a break for a few years during which he ran marathons. Without stopping training, it was in 1983 that he returned to competition, when the class was created for masters, i.e. competitors over the age of 35.
Since then, he has won six world masters titles, the last of which was in 2019, when the World Championship was presented in Montreal.
“This year I would like to go to the championship which will take place in Poland in August, but it is expensive and I am looking for sponsors,” he admits.
Photo Dave Levesque
An example for others
What is clear is that age is not going to stop Marcel Perron.
“Even if I have injuries, I come to train. I have lots of small injuries, but between the two ears it works. I am often told by young and old that I am an example for them.
Her secret is to keep her body limber by doing lots of stretching before and following her workouts.
“I do over 300 flexibility moves before and following. Then I take a sauna and a cold shower for five minutes”, he tells us, throwing a forward kick that goes higher than his head, as if to prove to us what he has just told us.
MARCEL PERRON
89 years old Started weightlifting at age 15 Competed in the Commonwealth Games in 1974 Competed in various competitions over the years including the Senior Pan American Games, Senior Canadian Championships, Canadian Masters Championships, World Masters Championships and World Masters Games Run marathons from 1976 to 1983 Returned to weightlifting in 1983 stretching before and following each workout.
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