Zainab Al-Mehdar
Pontiac November 3, 2022
Competing in his third international competition, 19-year-old Mansfield-et-Pontefract resident Xavier Lusignan took home the gold at the Pan-Am Junior weightlifting competition which took place in Peru on October 21.
“Once we got there. I mean, all the stars aligned perfectly. I had some good sleep and some good food, and on the day of the competition, I woke up and told myself that specific day I wasn’t accepting second place. So I started warming up in the back room, and we felt really good. And I managed to put on the best performance of my career so far,” said Lusignan.
After finishing in sixth place last year, he knew he had to do things differently to win this competition and that’s what he did. To prepare he focused on getting the two movements, the snatch and clean and jerk, which is the list he competes in, along with doing other training such as squats to work on his form.
Doing that he was able to perfect his . . .
technique and once he was on the platform he was sharp and ready, he explained. “On the day of the competition it was just like another day at work. All I had to do was just show off the hard work I’d been through.”
He competed in the 96-kilogram category and because it was the junior competition there was no one older than 20, he mentioned.
Being able to travel and compete at such a young age has matured him and taught him a lot about different cultures and different places. While travelling he’s always enjoyed the food and has had a great experience. For competitions overseas, he usually gets there a week in advance to get conditioned to the climate and altitude of the place, he explained.
Many people think he’s on vacation but in fact, he doesn’t always get much time to explore the city because he has to be laser-focused on the competition. Lusignan loves competing to represent his region, country and family in those games. It’s about more than just winning a gold medal, it’s his lifestyle, he is an athlete outside and inside the gym. It’s what defines him, he said, adding that what motivates him is the support he gets from his community.
“I’m the type of person where I don’t give up. I always say if I set my mind to something I will make sure I get through it. It’s hard to describe because it’s something I want so badly that I won’t accept defeat,” he said.
After the competition, he feels good, not burnt out, injury free and ready to push himself for the next challenge. “We can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
As a 19-year-old he has definitely had to miss out on seeing friends or doing teenage things, but when asked if he would change anything about his life he said, no.
He won’t be retiring anytime soon, not until he wins the World Championships and makes it to the Olympics.
After winning at the second biggest Junior competition, his next move is the World Championships which will be in Mexico in 2023.
“My focus and my energy are all going to be put into the preparation for that competition,” he said. “The gold medal is cool. I like it. But it’s not the best gold medal I can ask for. So I’m gonna keep going until I get the World Championship gold medal.
