Gold medalist at her first Olympic Games in Tokyo, Maude Charron became a well-known and admired figure in Quebec overnight. Her attachment to her region, her resilience during the pandemic and her desire to bring renewed prestige to her sport have made her an iconic figure. Overview of an exceptional trajectory that propelled the Ste-Luce native to the world’s most important athletic stage.

Gymnastics was the sport in which Maude Charron had first nurtured her Olympic dreams, but after extensive training, she realized her ambitions were unattainable. Unfazed, Maude continued to pursue her quest for excellence in circus and CrossFit until at last she uncovered an exceptional talent for weightlifting. The rest is history, leading up to the medal she brought home to Canada from the Tokyo Olympics.

The first time Maude Charron ascended an international podium was in 2016, when she won a bronze medal at the World University Championships. She went on to turn heads at her first IWF World Championship, where she placed second in snatch and fifth overall. Charron had competed in the B Group one day before the A Group. With her performance of 224 kg, her total weight was just one kilo under than that of the silver and bronze medalists. Charron kept up the pace in 2018, winning gold in the 64 kg category at the Commonwealth Games, where she broke the Games’ record in the clean-and-jerk with a lift of 122 kg.

In 2019, Maude finished fourth in the 64 kg event at the Pan American Games in Lima and sixth at the IWF World Championships, before ending the year with a gold medal at the IWF Grand Prix in Lima. 

In her sole international event in 2020, the Sainte-Luce native won silver at the IWF World Cup. When competition resumed in 2021, she claimed the gold at the Pan American Championships, breaking the continental records in the 64 kg class in snatch (107 kg), clean-and-jerk (133 kg) and overall (240 kg). 

Now competing in the 59 kg class since the abolition of the 64 kg category, Maude has won a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2023. She is now getting ready for the Games in 2024.