Russ Prior

Russ Prior
Personal information
Full nameRussel Prior
Born(1949-07-11)July 11, 1949
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
DiedFebruary 17, 2017(2017-02-17) (aged 67)[1]
Height183 cm (6 ft 0 in)[2]
Weight110 kg (243 lb)[2]
Sport
Country Canada
SportWeightlifting
Weight class110 kg
TeamNational team
Medal record
Men's Weightlifting
Representing  Canada
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1976 110 kg (snatch)
Updated on 10 January 2017

Russel "Russ" Prior (July 11, 1949 – February 17, 2017)[2] was a Canadian weightlifter, who represented Canada at international competitions.

Born in Hamilton, Ontario,[2] Prior first became interested in weightlifting at the age of 15, after reading about the lifting performance of a local resident in a newspaper. His father built a gym in their house's basement, and Prior won multiple events at the CANUSA Games. Three times – in 1970, 1974, and 1978 – Prior won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, along with those titles, he earned three Pan American Games gold medals.[3] After not being able to compete at the 1972 Summer Olympics due to a back injury,[3] he won the bronze medal in the 110 kg snatch at the 1976 World Weightlifting Championships, lifting 167.5 kg. He participated at the 1976 Summer Olympics in the 110 kg event,[4] and is credited with a ninth-place finish.[2] In 1978, Prior became the Commonwealth record-holder in the 110+ kg clean and jerk, by successfully lifting 210.5 kg.[5] Prior retired from the sport and moved to Winnipeg, where he became a high school teacher.[3]

References

  1. ^ Lassen, Moira J. (February 24, 2017). "Russ Prior passed away". International Weightlifting Federation. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Russ Prior". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  3. ^ a b c Fitz-Gerald, Tony (27 September 2000). "Tired of weighting; Hamilton Olympian Russ Prior is happy to live his life in obscurity". The Hamilton Spectator. p. C4.
  4. ^ "Weightlifting World Championships Seniors Statistics - 2007 World Championships - Russ Prior" (PDF). iwf.net. pp. 102–125. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  5. ^ "Weightlifting championships: Russ Prior sets record for Commonwealth". The Globe and Mail. 27 March 1978. p. S4.