Let the games begin!
This week, as the Tokyo Olympic Games swing into high gear, I would like to share some of my favorite pictures of the Canadian athletes who have qualified for competition.
Kristel Ngarlem – Weightlifting (76kg)
Kristel Ngarlem. Sony a9, 85mm F/1.8
Kristel started weightlifting at 10 years old. She competed in her first senior national championships when she was 14. In 2020, at age 25, she has set a new personal best, lifting a total of 233kg. Yep, that’s more than 513 lbs. folks!
This shot was taken at the 2019 Canadian Weightlifting Championships in La Prairie. I really like her expression and how the movement in her hair creates a sense of dynamism as she masters the clean phase of the clean and jerk.
Maude Charron – Weightlifting (64kg)
Maude Charron. Sony a9, 135mm GM F/1.8
Maude entered her first weightlifting competition in September 2015 and competed at her first nationals just five months later! She won gold at the Pan American Championships in April 2021, breaking the continental records for the 64kg weight class in snatch, clean and jerk and total weight (240kg).
Even though getting a head-to-toe portrait is always a winner, I feel like a nice close-up brings a more emotional element to a picture. This one was taken a couple of weeks ago at the INS competition in Montreal, a few days prior to the team’s departure for Tokyo.
Pierre-Luc Poulin – Canoe/Kayak – Sprint
Pierre-Luc Poulin. Sony a9, 135mm GM F/1.8
Pierre-Luc started paddling at age 7 and became interested in participating in Canoe/kayak a few years later. He broke onto the international scene at the 2013 World Junior Championships. Six years later, at the 2019 World Championships, he was a member of the K-4 500m crew that qualified in the event for Tokyo 2020.
This shot was taken in 2020 during a training session at Lac-Beauport, Quebec. I love the perspective that progresses from the ripples in the water in the foreground to Pierre-Luc’s candid smile. (The picture comes from the same series as the image published on the cover of the latest PHOTONews Magazine).
Tali Darsigny (59kg)
Tali Darsigny. Sony a9, 55mm ZA F/1.8
Tali first started lifting weights at age 8. At 13, she won bronze at the 2011 senior Canadian Championships. In 2020, she took home the bronze medal in the 59kg category at the World Cup in Rome. She now follows in the footsteps of her coach (and her dad), Yvan Darsigny, who represented Canada at the 1984 and 1992 Olympics.
In this picture, Tali is catching a snatch during one of her last training sessions at Club Gros-Bill, in La Prairie, before leaving for the Olympics (July 2021). I love her overhead position and the impact is even greater when you see that her boyfriend, Noah, is right behind, watching her.
Rachel Leblanc-Bazinet (55kg)
Rachel Leblanc-Bazinet. Sony a9, 135mm GM F/1.8
A latecomer to weightlifting, Rachel began to train seriously for the sport at 26 years old. She first competed internationally at the 2016 FISU World University Championships, just two years after getting started. Rachel won the 55kg title at the Las Vegas International in 2019 and placed fifth at the 2020 World Cup in Rome.
This photo was taken during a training session in the summer of 2020. I particularly like this image because it was my first time photographing Olympic weightlifting outdoors. The very harsh lighting (mid-day direct sunlight) enabled me to create a very dramatic black and white look. I have achieved this effect using the G.O.A.T template from my BADASS ACTION Signature Collection.
Go Team Canada!
We are blessed to have many great athletes in Canada. I hope each and every one of the team members who have qualified will come back from Tokyo with pride, joy, a sense of fulfillment and the satisfaction they all so very much deserve.
About the Author
MICHÈLE GRENIER is a sports photographer who specializes in BADASS action portraiture. She’s also a Photofocus author, a Skylum Software ambassador and a photography coach. You can find her at www.michelegrenierphoto.com
