Skip to content

Younger Santavy spurred on by sibling’s weightlifting success

Barry Wright It's not uncommon for a younger sibling to use the accomplishments of an older one as motivation to elevate their game. That’s definitely the case with Sarnia weightlifter Noah Santavy.
IMG_0853 (1)-2
Sarnia’s Noah Santavy successfully snatches a record-setting 96 kilograms at the recent Canadian Junior Weightlifting Championships in Winnipeg. Cheering him on is his father and coach, Dalas Santavy. Photo courtesy Clance Laylor

Barry Wright

It's not uncommon for a younger sibling to use the accomplishments of an older one as motivation to elevate their game.

That’s definitely the case with Sarnia weightlifter Noah Santavy.

The 16-year-old knows exactly what his older brother Boady has achieved in the sport and has his sights set on similar targets.

“I always look at the records and if (Boady) holds them, it makes me want to beat it that much more,” said Noah.

He used that incentive at the recent Canadian Junior Weightlifting Championships in Winnipeg to break the junior national snatch record previously held by his brother.

Noah snatched 96 kilos, eclipsing Boady's old mark of 95 kilos.

“I almost had 98 (kilos) on my third try. But I just missed it,” he said, emphasizing with inflection how close he came.

The St. Patrick’s High School student is now preparing for Ontario Senior Weightlifting Championships in late March. He’ll need a total of 210 kilograms in the Snatch and Clean & Jerk there to qualify for the Canadian Senior Championships in Toronto in November.

His total in Winnipeg was 207 kilograms.

“It'll be tough, but I think I can do it,” said Santavy.

He credits two generations of Santavy men for the success he’s experiencing in the sport.

His father, Dalas, and grandfather, Bob, both competed for Canada in weightlifting on the international stage.

Bob Santavy wore Canadian colours at the Olympics in 1968 in Mexico City and 1976 in Montreal, while Dalas represented Canada at the Commonwealth and Pan American Games between 1998 and 2007. and is a Canadian Senior Weightlifting champion several times over.

“He's an awesome coach,” Noah said of his father Dalas.  “He really gets you pumped up.”

And his grandfather continues to support him by attending events when he is able.

Noah Santavy's goal is to represent Canada at the Olympics in 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.

“I don't think I'll be ready by the next Olympics, but by the next ones after that, I think I'll be right there,” he said.

Meantime, Noah's older brother Boady easily won his weight class at the Winnipeg event with lifts totalling 308 kilograms.


Join the Community: Receive Our Daily News Email for Free