Sudbury powerlifter hoping to stay atop podium at Special Olympics World Games

A Sudbury, Ont., powerlifter will return to the world stage this month, aiming to hold the podium despite training setbacks in recent years after an injury.

Josée Seguin is representing Team Canada at the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin. The last summer games happened in Abu Dhabi in 2019.

At those games, Seguin took home three gold medals for deadlift, bench press and overall score, and a silver medal for her squat. Aside from a small meet in April in North Bay, Ont., Seguin said she hasn't been to any competitions since the start of the pandemic.

"There's a bit of pressure, I won't lie," she said. "It's nice to know that I'm going a second time."

Opening ceremonies will happen on June 17 and the competition begins on June 19. Seguin said she's received a lot of support from community members ahead of her trip.

The pandemic meant Seguin could no longer access her gym in 2020, causing a gap in her training. 

To help fill that void, she began skating. But this would soon bring disaster.

In 2020, while skating at Queen's Athletic Field in Sudbury, Seguin fell and broke her wrist. She now has a plate and several screws installed, and the recovery kept her away from the gym for a year.

Seguin then needed another surgery last year when the plate began to rub against her bone. She was again kept from the gym until she healed.

Special Olympics Ontario's Sudbury community co-ordinator, Lynne Houle, has known Seguin since she began the program about 15 years ago. She said Seguin's determination, despite her injury, reflects her character.

"Josée is always one of these athletes that are always positive, has a good outlook. It was not a big thing for her when she broke her wrist; she continued, she preserved and just did