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Eight-year-old powerhouse lifter continues family legacy

The local lifter Arya Schultz snatches silver medal in youth weightlifting competition

At just eight years old, St. Albert's Arya Schultz has made a name for herself in the weightlifting community.

The tiny powerhouse, still in Grade 2,  showcased her talent at the T.O.P Open Olympic Weightlifting Competition at Ross Sheppard High School on April 22 in the youth division for 16 and under. She was the youngest participant in the competition by four years and the youngest competitor in Alberta history. 

Arya Schultz has been weightlifting for about two years and is already a multi-sport athlete, her other focus being gymnastics.

“It's amazing to see her commitment and focus at such a young age," said her father Dan Schultz,

In the youth division, athletes executed the snatch, a wide grip lift where the bar is lifted over the head in one motion, and the clean and jerk, which involves a narrower grip and lifting the bar to the shoulders first.

Arya Schultz completed all six of her lifts. Her best lifts were 14 kilograms in the snatch and 15 kilograms in the clean and jerk, which gave her 29 kilograms total in the competition.

The Schultz family has a long, strong history in weightlifting. Arya Schultz's grandfather, Darrell Schultz, competed for Team Canada and won bronze at the 1978 Commonwealth Games. Dan Schultz's himself represented Canada at three Junior World Championships and Pan-Am Championships. 

Dan Schultz co-founded the Farmstrong Athletics Olympic Weightlifting Club in St. Albert roughly seven years ago. For him, working with his kids and other youth is a huge part of what makes the endeavour so rewarding.

"My dream was to hopefully coach my kids someday,” he said, noting this dream has come true. 

“We have such an amazing group of kids training at the gym, and my kids get to be a part of that,” Dan Schultz said.

“They get to see other kids working hard and conquering goals and dreams."

Dan Schultz notes that coaching Olympic weightlifting is about more than teaching the fundamentals.

“You can relate so many aspects of the sport with the challenges in life, which I love showing and teaching them,” he said. 

For Arya Schultz, the competition was not only a chance to display her skills but also an opportunity to overcome nerves.

"Arya was so nervous about going on stage in front of a crowd, but she overcame her fear and went out and nailed all six of her lifts."

"When the lifting was done, she was just so excited and happy, and I just loved being a part of that. It's truly an incredible experience as a father and a coach."

And while the promising little lifter may have been anxious at the outset of the competition, it’s clear that having her biggest fans in the audience helped out.

The young athlete echoed her father's sentiments about the importance of competing with the support of loved ones.

When asked about the most exciting part of the competition, Arya Schultz said, "When I got to lift in front of my family.”

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