BURSTMountains of muscle were on display at B.C. Strongman Provincials, which took over a corner of the Sevenoaks Shopping Centre parking lot on Aug. 15.
Frank Lalonde, who was one of the event organizers, said the competition was a big success and led to many athletes setting new personal records.
The competitors went toe-to-toe across five events, which included squats, stone to shoulder, overhead press, deadlifts, and shield carry.
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Approximately 70 athletes competed in the various men’s and women’s divisions, with Lalonde saying one of the highlights of the day came from an open men’s division competitor.
Chilliwack’s Tom Gunson managed to get 720 lbs off the ground during the deadlift event, which was only about 100 lbs away from the open men’s national record set in 2024.
Lalonde also loved how many people showed up to cheer on the athletes as they pushed themselves to their limits.
“We are hoping the sport grows and we have a bunch of new faces next year,” said Lalonde.
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The winners at this year’s provincials were:
• Marissa Gerard (novice women)
• Etta Degnan (U57 kg women)
• Tiana Ewing (U64 kg women)
• Alena McCulloch (U73 kg women)
• Marie Edwards (U82 kg women)
• Carmina Tioseco (open women)
• Denise Kerr (master women 40+)
• Christine Blyth (master women 50+)
• Tyson Bennett (novice men)
• Warren Ray (adaptive)
• Ewan England (teen men)
• Aldovino Rapini (U80 kg men)
• Robin Killoran (U90 kg men)
• Tyson Delay (U105 kg men)
• Sam Glennie (U120 kg men)
• Austyn Ryan (open men)
• Stefan Hall (master lightweight men)
• Chris Gaschnitz (master heavyweight men)